


Fall Out Musical

by patdaddytrohman



Series: Fall Out Musical [1]
Category: Cobra Starship, Fall Out Boy, High School Musical (Movies), My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-04-29 17:35:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 26,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5136608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patdaddytrohman/pseuds/patdaddytrohman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe and Patrick meet unexpectedly, there's lots of basketball, bursting out into song, and Joetrick. Have you seen High School Musical? That's all you really need to know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Start Of Something New?

**Author's Note:**

> so this is the first time I've written like anything so plz don't judge me because I'm trying my best :) writing and english and grammar have never been my thing so posting this is kind of something new for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe is on vacation and is forced to sing with a cute boy. He's never gotten butterflies like these before. Could it really be the start of something new?

It was New Year’s Eve and Joe and Frank were still out on that damn basketball court. All Joe’s mom wanted was for her family to go on vacation somewhere cold where basketball was no longer a concern for just a simple few days. She stormed onto the court and told her family to go have fun at the New Year’s parties going on inside.

“There’s even a teen party going on, Joe! Why don’t you go in there and make some new friends?” she asked.

“But mom, I’m NEVER going to see these people again. Why should I go talk to them?” Joe sassed back.

“Because this is Winter Break. There is no need to be playing basketball at all hours of the day.”

No need to play basketball? What on earth was she talking about? How does she not understand that basketball is Joe’s entire life? Not only was it his entire life, but it was Frank’s entire life too. He is the high school basketball coach after all. She married him knowing that basketball would ALWAYS be around. However, Joe knew that his mom was always right, so he decided that maybe he should go to the party.

“Okay okay mom. I’ll go. But that doesn’t mean I’ll like it. And dad and I are coming right back in here tomorrow,” Joe replied.

“Okay fine. Thank you for being social.”

Joe walked into the room full of crazy teens. None were drinking though. The ski lodge they were vacationing at would definitely not allow that. Joe was slightly upset about that, but he understood. He was thirsty though, so he grabbed a cup of punch and headed for the corner of the room. Joe was usually the center of attention with his group of friends at school. He was the captain of the basketball team though. He had to be the center of attention. He didn’t mind it, but no one would imagine him as the type to hang out in the corner at a party. Truth is, he’s a bit shy around people he didn’t know.

Joe checked his bulky flip phone for the time. 11:20 pm. Only 20 minutes had passed? Ugh. It was going to be a long night. The DJ announced that they were going to have karaoke until midnight. Joe sure as hell was not going to do that. The only time he sang was in the shower….sometimes. The DJ asked for volunteers. Apparently everyone had the same mindset as Joe, because no one was volunteering.

“Alright, no volunteers? That’s fine. I’ll just come out and pick people,” the DJ said.

“Oh shit,” Joe whispered to himself, while trying to hide behind his empty cup.

The first victim was picked. The DJ volunteered a boy from the other side of the room. He seemed to be in the same situation as Joe. Doesn’t know anyone, hides in the corner, and sips on his punch. Except he looked much more afraid and awkward than Joe. Poor kid. He looked about the same age as Joe. He was short. VERY short. Not that Joe was much taller, but he had to have been 5’4” at the most. He had short brown hair and honestly, the most beautiful lips Joe had ever seen. He wore black converse, ripped jeans, a black t-shirt, wristbands, and glasses. Boys like him had never been Joe’s type, but there was something about him that made Joe get butterflies in his stomach.

Joe’s thoughts about the cute boy were disturbed when the DJ grabbed his arm and said, “And you! You get to sing!”

“Oh shit,” Joe said again to himself only a bit louder this time.

Joe was drug onto the tiny stage next to the cute boy. They both looked and felt extremely awkward and terrified. Their eyes met for a solid 2 seconds before the DJ announced that they were going to be singing a duet to some song they had never heard of.

“Great! Not only do I not want to be up here, but I’m going to fuck up this song I’ve never heard of in front of this cute boy!” Joe complained. The boy giggled nervously at this. Joe thought it was the cutest thing ever and hinted a little smile. Usually Joe isn’t this blunt, but he was already going to make a fool of himself, so he thought why not.

The first note of the song played. Both of the boys’ smiled disappeared and turned into a wide-eyed, nervous look. Joe looked over at the boy who looked like he was about to throw up. I guess Joe will be starting off the song.

“Livin’ in my own world. Didn’t understand,” Joe sang nervously. He paused and noticed the boy was looking at him with a scared look. “That anything could happen. When you take a chance,” he continued. He really couldn’t do this. He was terrified. He started to walk off the stage when suddenly the voice of a thousand angels began singing.

“I never believed in, what I couldn’t see,” the boy sang. Joe stopped and turned around in shock. Did that voice really just come from him? He looked so little and fragile, but his voice. His voice was so deep and soulful. Joe began to walk back, still in disbelief. The boy continued, “I never opened my heart.” Joe loved hearing his voice and added an ‘ooh’ to the song to let the boy become more confident. Joe did not want him to stop singing. “To all the possibilities,” the boy finished.

The screen prompted both of them to sing ‘I know.’ “That something has changed,” sang the boy. “Never felt this way,” sang both boys in unison. “And right here tonight,” sang the more confident boy. Joe thought it was strange how they didn’t sing all of it together, but he didn’t care. It was an excuse for him not to sing and also an excuse to hear that beautiful voice some more.

The chorus began, “This could be the start of something new. It feels so right, to be here with you, ooh. And now looking in your eyes, I feel in my heart. The start of something new.” And what they sang was true. The both gained confidence and sang to each other. They were looking in each other’s eyes, smiling. Joe thought about what his mom said about making friends. Maybe this was really going to be the start of something new.

The second verse began and Joe was just so excited that he didn’t even care that he was being watched and judged by all of these people. He took off his nice, brown jacket that his mom had picked out for him to reveal his white polo underneath. He took his mic off of the stand to show off his newly gained confidence. This made the boy smile and bite his lip. They were finally singing together. The second verse and chorus was flawless.

By the time they hit the bridge, they were both pulling out their own subtle dance moves and having fun. “I never knew that it could happen till it happened to me,” Joe belted out. “I didn’t know it before, but now it’s easy to see,” they sang together. As they reached the last chorus, Joe moved closer towards to boy. This made the boy nervously back up and almost fall off the stage. Thank God the audience was there to catch him. He would never want to see Joe again if he would’ve let him fall off and embarrass himself. The boy moved in closer to Joe. Their eyes never left each other. They finished off the song strong and the audience went nuts.

“I’m Joe,” he said to the boy.

“Patrick,” the boy introduced back. Joe smiled at the response. Joe was not usually attracted to boys like Patrick, but there was something about him that gave Joe all sorts of butterflies. Maybe it was the way he made shy and awkward look so damn cute. Maybe it was his beautiful, pouty lips. Or maybe it was just the wonderful voice that came from such a small being. Either way, Joe knew that he could not leave this ski lodge without getting his number.

The time now was 11:30 pm. Since Joe and Patrick were both loners at the party, they decided to hang around each other. It was a bit loud inside, so they went to patio right outside of the room they sang in. “I have to say Patrick, you have such an amazing voice,” Joe complimented. “Well thank you,” Patrick replied unsurely. “No, seriously. I have never heard someone with such a beautiful voice before,” Joe said right back. “Thank you. It really means a lot.” This time, Patrick sounded a little more convinced, which made Joe happy. The kid definitely deserved some confidence. 

“Do you do a lot of singing back home?” Joe asked. “No. Not at all actually. I sing in my room sometimes, but I pretty much keep to myself,” Patrick replied. “What about you? You have a pretty good voice too! Do you sing?” Patrick asked. “Hell no! Well, unless you count in my shower.” Patrick giggled, which made Joe laugh right back. They spent the next half hour talking about music, until they heard shouting from inside.

“10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!” yelled all of the voices from inside.

 

Usually at midnight on New Year’s, you grab the first person you see and kiss them. It was no secret that Joe wanted to kiss Patrick. Hell, Patrick wanted the same thing. Both were just far too scared to make the first move. Instead of kissing, they just awkwardly stood there in silence until Patrick said, “I better go find my mom and wish her a Happy New Year.” “Yeah, me too. Well, except not your mom. My mom. And my dad,” Joe answered. What was he thinking? He felt so stupid. “Oh hey! I should get your number!” Joe said confidently. 

“Definitely!” Patrick said as he handed his phone to Joe. They exchanged phone numbers and selfies onto each other’s flip phones. Joe looked down and started to compliment Patrick again, but mid-sentence, Joe looked up only to see that Patrick had already left.


	2. You're Holidays Are Over, People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter Break is over and, oh shit!, Patrick goes to school with Joe now?? Kickass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. So I have not gotten any better at writing, so I hope it's decent?????

The worst part about Winter Break is that it has to end. The end to this break was harder than any other to Joe. He couldn’t stop thinking about Patrick. It was the best night he had in a long time. He felt like he could be himself for once. Soon enough, Joe could see the huge building with his school’s name on it, East High School. The bus stopped and he knew it was time to put a smile on for his friends.

Immediately after getting off of the bus, his entire team crowded around him, walking him inside of the school. Pete Wentz was in the front on the crowd. Pete was Joe’s best friend. They had been best friends since kindergarten. Pete had shaggy, black hair and tan skin. Pete was not the tallest kid ever, but he was one hell of a basketball player. He’s also probably the biggest dumbass Joe has ever met. He’s never been good in school and he’s always getting into shenanigans. Joe loved him like a brother anyway.

“Joe! How’s it goin’, man?!” Pete said with one hand on Joe’s shoulder and holding a basketball in the other.

“Pete! It’s going great! Hey, happy new year everyone!” Joe said back to Pete, then to the rest of the team.

“Happy new year is right! The championship game is coming up soon and you’re going to lead us right to victory, Joe!” Pete said. He then continued with his “WHAT TEAM?!” as the rest of team answered “WILDCATS!” They did this two more times until Pete yells, “WILDCATS!” and the rest of the team responds with, “GETCHA HEAD IN THE GAME!” Joe was never exactly sure why they always did this, but he went with it every time. It’s probably just Pete’s way of pumping up the team.

As the team got inside, their story sharing was interrupted when Brendon Urie and Dallon Weekes walked through them, pushing them out of their way. Brendon is, and always will be, hot shit. He gets attention from all of the girls and guys. It takes special people to look right through his intentions. He has black hair that was always styled with gel. Dallon is Brendon’s step brother. Ever since their parents got married, Brendon had Dallon wrapped around his finger. Dallon goes with everything that Brendon says. Dallon has brown hair and switches up the style. Sometimes, it’s up the Brendon’s, but sometimes he likes his bangs covering his forehead. 

Pete looked disgusted, “I bet I know what Brendon ended up doing all break.”

“What’s that?” Ryan Ross, one of their teammates asked.

“Probably shopping for mirrors,” Pete answered. Joe laughed, because it was probably true. The only thing bigger than Brendon’s ego was his forehead. The whole team continues to walk through the hall as they pass by Andy Hurley and the rest of the chem club.

“Ugh, behold the zoo animals heralding the new year. How tribal,” Andy said to his group.

 

Patrick walks through the halls of East High School with his mom and Principal Ray Toro. Patrick’s mom is chatting with Principal Toro about all of the great opportunities for Patrick, but Patrick isn’t listening. He’s so worried about coming to ANOTHER new school. He’s never been to the same school for more than a semester at a time. His mom’s job is constantly requiring her to relocate. She says every time that they won’t move until graduation. Maybe this time she’ll follow through with that.

The bell rings. “Mom, I don’t think I can do this,” Patrick says nervously.

“Patrick, honey, there’s nothing to worry about. You heard what Principal Toro said! It’ll be great,” she answered. Truth is, Patrick did not hear what Principal Toro had said.

“With your transcripts, you’ll fit right in. No need to worry! East High is very welcoming! Now this classroom here is your homeroom. It will be with Mr. Gerard Way. You might want to get in there before he counts you late,” Principal Toro said. Patrick’s mom gave him a kiss on the forehead and left him on his way.

Patrick walked in and talked to Mr. Way. Patrick was slightly intimidated, because he had never seen a teacher with bright red hair. Mr. Way pointed to where Patrick was supposed to sit. Patrick walked right past Joe in Mr. Way’s room and didn’t even notice him. Joe didn’t notice at first either. He was too busy chatting with his teammate, Max Schneider, about the crazy party they went to the first day of break.

Joe turned around when Mr. Way announced that homeroom was beginning. In the corner of his eye, he caught of glimpse of what looked like Patrick. Could it really be him? He turned back around to see Patrick walking to the back of the classroom cautiously.

“I trust that everyone had a wonderful holiday! Now, please check the bulletin board for new activities, Mr. Trohman,” Mr. Way said. Joe turned around upon hearing his name, but immediately pulled out his cell phone to text Patrick.

“Especially our winter musicale! There will be lead and supporting role auditions soon,” Mr. Way continued. Pete sitting behind Joe with a basketball on his desk gave a thumbs down and a ‘psh’ about the musical talk.

“Excuse me Mr. Wentz. This is a classroom, not a hockey arena,” Mr. Way said. Pete slumped back into his seat a little bit and moved the basketball to his lap.

Mr. Way continued, “There is also a final sign-up sheet for next week's scholastic decathlon competition. Chem Club president Andy Hurley can answer all of your questions about that.” Andy gave a little smile from the back. He liked being recognized for his intelligence and leadership. Then there’s ringing. The first cell phone has gone off. Patrick quickly goes to his bag to take out his cell phone.

“Ah, I see you teenagers have brought your mobile devices into class with your loud music playing,” Mr. Way said.

“Are our phones going off?” Brendon asks Dallon as they both pull out their phones too. All of a sudden Mr. Way approaches them with his decorated can specifically for cell phones.

“Brendon. Dallon. Cell phones. And I will see you in detention,” Mr. Way snaps as Brendon drop their phones into the can. Mr. Way walks to the back of the room towards Patrick.

“Mr. Stump, we have a zero tolerance cell phone policy here. I’ll see you in detention,” Mr. Way says as Patrick drops his phone into the can. “Oh and welcome to East High.”

“Mr. Trohman, I see your cell phone is involved. I will see you in detention as well.”

“Mr. Way! That’s impossible! We have practice after school!” Pete says freaking out a little bit.

“Ah! That’s fifteen minutes for you as well, Mr. Wentz! Count em!”

“That may be hard for Pete, considering he probably can’t count that high,” Andy said a little too loud apparently.

“Mr. Hurley! That’s fifteen minutes for you as well!” Mr. Ways said on a roll. “Now that that’s over, shall we continue? Your holidays are over people! It’s time for learning!” As Mr. Way finished, Max raised his hand and was called on.

“So, how were your holidays Mr. Way?” Everyone groaned, because Max never fails to ask the stupidest questions at the least appropriate times. Finally, the bell rang. Thank god. 

 

Joe was out of homeroom before Patrick, so he waited by the door. He was anxious for him to get out, so when he finally did, Joe startled him a little bit.

“Hey!” Joe started.

“I don’t…”

“Believe it!”

“Well me…”

“Either! But how?” Joe thought it was magical when they finished each other’s sentences.

“My mom’s company relocated her here. I can’t believe you live here! I tried looking for you at the ski lodge on New Year’s Day,” Patrick said surprised.

“I know, but we had to leave first thing in the morning,” Joe whispered.

“Uh, why are you whispering?” Patrick asked.

“Oh. Well, my friends don’t exactly know about the whole singing thing. It’s just not…what I do. That was like, a whole different person,” Joe said awkwardly. “So welcome to East High! Now that you’ve met Mr. Way, I bet you can’t wait to sign up for that,” Joe continued pointing to the musical audition sign-up sheet on the bulletin board that Patrick was studying.

“Oh! I won’t be signing up for anything anytime soon! I want to get to know the school better. But if you signed up, I wouldn’t mind coming to watch you,” Patrick replied flirtatiously.

Joe laughed, “That’s completely impossible!” Their conversation was interrupted when Brendon approached them.

“What’s impossible, Joe? I didn’t even think that word was in your vocabulary,” Brendon said also flirtatiously. He turned to acknowledge Patrick standing right next to them.

“Wow, Joe! It’s so nice of you to show the new boy around!” Brendon said again as he took out his nicest pen and wrote his name across the musical audition sheet large enough so no one else can fit their name.

“Oh! Were you going to sign up too? My step brother and I have been the stars in every school production we’ve been in, but there’s always room backstage or in the supporting roles,” Brendon said rudely to Patrick.

“Oh no! I was just looking at all of the activities this school has,” Patrick said a little shaky. “Nice penmanship,” he continued with a little more sass as he walked away leaving Joe with Brendon. Joe makes an “oh shit. I’m alone with this bitch” face.

“So Joe, I missed you during break. What’d you do?” Brendon asked. Joe thought Brendon was hot. Like, really hot. And things may have gotten a little kinky between them one time at a party their sophomore year. But Joe was drunk. Really drunk. Ever since then, Brendon clings to Joe. Joe didn’t mind it at first, but he finally realized how much of a bitch Brendon really was and tries avoiding him.

“Oh. You know. Basketball. Snowboarding. More basketball,” Joe answered failing to mention the singing.

“So when’s the big game?” Brendon asked.

“Next week.”

“Oh my gosh. Your sooo dedicated,” Brendon said seductively. “Just like me!” he finished by perking up a bit. “You’re gunna come watch me in the musical right? Promise?” he asked. Joe nervously shook his head. He wanted to say no, but he didn’t want to create a scene.

“Awesome! Toodles!” Brendon said as he walked away. Joe gave a little wave and immediately let out a sign when he was gone. He needs to avoid Brendon a lot more.


	3. Getcha Head In The Game, Joe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pete thinks Joe is crazy when he starts talking about musical auditions. Pete reminds him that the championship game is coming up and he needs to get his head in the game. Dance break included.

It is free period and the whole basketball team decided to get to together to get in some practice before practice. The team suggested it because they figured it is what Joe wanted. Plus, they knew it would make Coach Iero happy. In all honesty though, Joe just wanted to take a nap. There has been a lot on his mind. 

“So, Pete. I’ve heard you get extra credit for auditioning for the musical. Do you think it’s true?” Joe asks as they both stretch.

“Uhh? Who cares?” Pete replies in a confused tone.

“Well, I mean, extra credit is good for like, college,” Joe says unsure of what Pete will have to say next.

“Joe. What are you even talking about? Lebron James and Shaquille O’Neal didn’t audition for their school musicals. So stop talking so crazy. Besides, the music in those shows isn’t hip hop or rock…or anything essential to culture. It’s show music. There’s costumes and makeup,” Pete shakes like he got goosebumps. “Very frightening if you ask me,” he finishes.

“Yeah you’re right. I just thought it would be a good laugh. Plus Brendon’s pretty cute too.”

“Dude. Are you crazy? Since when are you into Brendon again? I thought that ship sailed?” Pete said. Joe shrugged it off and Pete walked away ready to practice.

“Alright team! Pair up!” Joe said to the team. Apparently pairing up means randomly bursting into singing and dancing. The basketball players paired up and practiced blocking and passing and such as the music began. Joe was with Max and Pete was with Ryan.

“Coach said to fake right and break left. Watch out for the pick and keep your eye on the defense. You gotta run the give and go and take the ball to the hole,” Joe sang as the team broke out into a game of 3 on 3.

“And don't be afraid. Shoot the outside J,” he continued as he made a basket and was handed another ball. The team continued their 3 on 3 game as Joe sang on.

“You gotta get'cha get'cha head in the game,” Joe said to the team as the crowded around him.

“We gotta get our get our get our get our head in the game,” the team replied spreading out and passing balls to each other. Joe shot another basket and the second verse began.

“Let’s make sure that we get the rebound. Cuz when we get it the crowd will go wild. A second chance gotta grab it and go,” Joe sang. He stopped and help the ball, “Maybe this time we’ll hit the right notes.” His teammates looked confused. Who hits notes in basketball?

He threw the ball behind him for his team to retrieve. “Wait a minute, it's not the time or place. Wait a minute, get my head in the game,” he sang. “Wait a minute, get my head in the game. Wait a minute. Wait a minute,” he continued as he joined the rest of his team. They circled around Joe and kept telling each other to get their heads in the game. The team fell to the ground as a single spotlight hit Joe in the middle of the court.

“Why am I feeling so wrong? My head's in the game, but my heart's in the song. He makes this feel so right,” he sang then spoke, “Should I go for it? Better shake this, yikes.” The team arose just in time for the dance break. Joe was passed a ball as the team danced in the circle around him. There was stepping, clapping, rolls on the floor, and all sorts of cool hip hop moves that Joe didn’t know the team could do. They probably just pulled it out of their asses. Basketball is on their mind way to often to practice dancing. Joe then shot another basket and the team danced and sang together.

“I gotta get my, get my head in the game,” Joe sang.

“You gotta get'cha, get'cha, get'cha, get'cha head in the game!” the team sang right back. They repeated this three more times as they finished off with more cool hip hop moves. The song ended with the whole team shooting their balls towards the basket. The bell rang telling them that free period was over and Joe didn’t expect anything different from Pete.

“WHAT TEAM?!” Pete yelled leading the team to the locker room.

“WILDCATS!” they replied following Pete.

“WHAT TEAM?!”

“WILDCATS!”

“WHAT TEAM?!”

“WILDCATS!”

“WILDCATS!”

“GETCHA HEAD IN THE GAME!”

Joe was the only one who didn’t leave. He stood there just watching all of the balls bouncing. He knows he needs to keep his head in the game. After all, the championship game is just one week away. His team is counting on him. Joe feels trapped. He needs to keep everyone happy, but doing that means that he isn’t happy. He thought he was happy. He knew basketball was his one and only place. Until Patrick.

Patrick gave Joe feelings that he’s never felt before. He felt like himself when he sang with him. Standing next to the small, cute boy, looking into his eyes, and singing is where he felt truly happy. Why couldn’t his mom just let him play basketball with his dad that night? It would’ve made life a lot easier. Joe picked up a ball and shot another basket. He looked unsatisfied, but walked away so he wouldn’t be late to his next class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked the random song and dance :)


	4. Patrick Stump, The Freaky Math Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brendon finds out that Patrick is smart. Like, really smart. Brendon decides that he should really be put in his place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been very good about updating. Hopefully it stays that way! And I also hope I'm going a good job on this whole fanfiction thing! Leave me some nice comments n shit :)

Patrick walked into his next class. Chemistry. Finally! He always does his best and he’s actually very good in every other subject known to man, but there was something about math and science that really interested him. He plopped down in the seat at the empty lab station in the middle. He noticed Andy was sitting just a few feet away from him. Out of nowhere, Brendon popped up right across the table from Patrick, which made Patrick jump.

“So, it seemed like you knew Joe Trohman?” Brendon asked.

“Shit! You scared me! Uh, no. Not really. He was just showing me around,” Patrick said awkwardly.

“That’s so weird. I mean, he doesn’t really interact with new students.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, it’s pretty much basketball 24/7 with Joe.” Patrick shrugged his shoulders and looked up at the board where his teacher was writing an equation for the students to copy. “Well, if you’re interested in Joe, I’m warning you to watch out for him. Sometimes, he really knows how to get inside your head. I would know,” Brendon said suspiciously as Patrick continued to look at the board. He didn’t care what Brendon had to say. All he cared about at the moment was the fact that their dumbass teacher can’t get a simple equation right.

“That should be 16 over pi…” Patrick said softly.

“I’m sorry. What was that, Mr. Stump?” she asked.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry, it’s just…shouldn’t that read 16 over pi?” Brendon rolled his eyes. As if the new kid thought he could just correct a teacher like that. How dumb.

“Of course not! That’s impossible,” she answered as she picked up her calculator to double check. “Well, I stand corrected! Well done, Mr. Stump,” she replied again as she corrected the chalkboard. Andy, who was still just a few feet away, noticed how smart Patrick was. This could mean great things for the Chem Club.

 

Dallon was standing in his usually spot in the hallway next to the bulletin boards. He waited there every day at this time for his step brother to get out of chemistry. While waiting, he noticed that Joe was staring at the musical audition sign-up sheet for a solid ten seconds, then walked away. ‘That’s weird. That’s the third time he’s done it today,’ Dallon thought to himself. Dallon saw Brendon walking towards him and rushed to tell his brother about Joe.

“Joe Trohman was looking at our audition list again,” Dallon said quickly.

“That’s like, the third time today? He was looking at it with that new, short boy too. There’s something very weird about him. Where is he from again?” Brendon asked. Dallon shrugged his shoulders as Brendon walked off with Dallon right behind.

 

Brendon sat in front of the computer that the library provided. He typed in Patrick’s name on Google to see what would pop up. An article about Patrick winning a scholastic decathlon at a school across the country was the first to show up. Brendon clicked on it to read more.

“Wow! He must be really smart!” Dallon said. “Why do you think he’s interested in the musical?” he asked.

“I really have no idea. There’s no need to be concerned though. He’s an amateur. He probably doesn’t even know to sing, act, or dance. However, it won’t hurt to welcome Patrick into school activities that are more…appropriate for him,” Brendon said suspiciously. He printed off the article, took it, and walked away with purpose. Dallon stood there staring at the computer for a few seconds. He was very confused. He never really knew what his brother was up to, but he always went with it. It took him a moment to realize Brendon had left him. As soon as he noticed, he scurried along behind him to see what was going on.


	5. Don't Fuck With Coach Iero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy finds the article that "Patrick" left in his locker and offers him a spot on their team. Mr. Way and Coach Iero get super pissed at each other because athletics vs. arts. Typical high school bullshit.

Even though Patrick loves learning, he’s always relieved when that last bell rings and he can finally go home. He couldn’t wait to leave today especially, because his first day has been a little crazy. The only problem is, it’s 3:30 and he has to go to detention. He groans when he remembers and makes his way to the theater where Mr. Way was waiting with a can of paint and a brush and commanded him to started painting a prop tree. 

Patrick noticed that Joe, his emo friend, Peter maybe?, Brendon, Dallon, and Andy were already there. He wished Joe would’ve walked him to the theater so he wouldn’t get lost. Andy must not have noticed Patrick walk in, because it took about 10 minutes of painting that stupid tree until Andy, looking very excited, ran over to Patrick with a piece of paper in his hand.

“Yes! Yes! A million times! The answer is yes!” Andy exclaimed. Patrick turned around to make sure Andy was talking to him. No one else was there.

“Uh…What?” Patrick said very confused.

“The scholastic decathlon team has our first competition next week and we would love for you to join!” Andy said slightly confused about Patrick’s confusion. Patrick noticed that the paper Andy was holding was an article about him winning a scholastic decathlon competition at his previous high school.

“Where the hell did you get that?!” Patrick exclaimed.

“Didn’t you put it in my locker?” Andy asked even more confused than before.

“Of course not!” Patrick said a little annoyed.

“Oh, well we would still love to have you on the team! We meet everyday after school. Please?” Andy sounded desperate, but Patrick was sticking to his gut.

“There’s no way. I need to catch up on the curriculum before I even think about joining anything,” he answered. Just as he finished, Brendon butted into their conversation. Fucking perfect.

“Patrick! This is a perfect way to get caught up! Being around the smartest kids in school is a great opportunity for you! What a generous offer, Andy!” Brendon said. Patrick and Andy both rolled their eyes. Thankfully, Mr. Way came to break up the conversation.

“There are so many new faces in detention today! Hopefully this means we don’t make a habit out of disrupting class. However, the theater is always in need of a hand! Now, as we are working, let’s discuss the evils of cell phones!” Mr. Way said as everyone groaned.

 

The team was warming up when Coach Iero called for a huddle and noticed something strange.

“Where’s Joe and Pete?” Coach asked. Ryan avoided eye contact with Coach Iero by looking down and Max turned to his other teammates hoping for someone else to answer. The gym was silent.

“Don’t make me ask again.” Silence again. “WHERE’S JOE AND PETE?!” Coach Iero yelled. The whole team muttered the word ‘detention.’ Coach Iero was obviously not happy, stormed out of the gym, and headed to the theater.

 

Mr. Way was still going on and on about cell phones. Joe was hanging out in the prop tree tickling a sleeping Pete’s nose right below him with a fake leaf. All of a sudden, Joe heard the worst sound ever. That of his father yelling.

“Where’s my team, Way?!” Coach Ireo yelled. He finally noticed them in the prop tree. “And what the hell are they doing in a tree?!” he added.

“It’s called crime and punishment, or as they call it, cell phones and detention, Iero. Besides, proximity to the arts is cleansing for the soul,” Mr. Way said annoyed.

“Can we have a talk please?” he asked Mr. Way. “And you two, get your asses in the gym now!” he added for his team. Joe and Pete knew not to fuck around when Frank was upset. Especially since the championship game is next week. They got out of the fake tree as fast as possible and sprinted to the gym.

 

A frustrated Mr. Way and Coach Iero met in Principal Toro’s office to discuss their issues regarding each other.

“I understand that the boys are in trouble, but if they need to paint sets for punishment, they can do it later tonight. Not during my practice time,” Coach Iero said to Mr. Way for Principle Toro to hear.

“If these were theater performers instead of athletes, would you seek special treatment? Besides, that’s inconvenient for me,” Mr. Way said.

“Way, we are just days away from our biggest game of the year!”

“And we, Iero, are in the midst of our auditions for our winter musicale! This school is about more than just young men in baggy shorts flinging balls for touchdowns!”

“Baskets! They shoot baskets!”

“I don’t care what it is! All I know is that this is just as important as your silly ball game!” Principal Toro was sick of their childish bickering and decided to end the argument.

“Stop! Listen, you guys have been having this argument since you both started working here. We are one school, one student body, and one faculty! Can we not agree on that?” Principal Toro said shutting them up. He let there be a few moments of silence for the three of them to calm down. “So Coach, how’s the team? Joe got ‘em whipped into shape?” Principal Toro added just making things worse. Coach Iero smiled while Mr. Way’s jaw dropped and stormed off back into the theater to keep an eye on the rest of the students in detention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow people besides my friends are actually reading this? legit. leave me some nice comments and kudos. or dont. its fine.


	6. Joe Trohman: People Pleaser?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coach Iero gives some inspiring talk after practice. Joe is not inspired whatsoever. Andy asks Patrick to join his team...AGAIN. They try to speak cheerleader, but decide they don't fit in. Joe tries to have a touching moment with his dad, but basketball is shoved way too far up his ass to think of anything else.

“The West High Knights have beat us out of the championship for three years in a row now. This is our time now! This year, we are going to take home that win! The team is you! You are the team! And this team does not exist unless each and everyone one of you is focused on our goal! Is that clear?!” Coach Iero said to pump up his team. The entire team answered with a ‘Yes Coach Iero!’ The entire team, except Joe. Joe wasn’t sure what his goals were at this point.

“WHAT TEAM?!” Pete yelled.

“WILDCATS!”

“WHAT TEAM?!”

“WILDCATS!”

“WHAT TEAM?!”

“WILDCATS!”

“WILDCATS!”

“GETCHA HEAD IN THE GAME!” the team finished as they ran to the locker room to wash up after practice.

 

“I want you to seriously consider joining our team,” Andy said to Patrick as they walked out of school after detention. “We’ve never made it past the first round of the scholastic decathlon and I think you may be the answer to our prayers.”

“I need to focus on my grades and help my mom organize the house. I really am sorry. Maybe next year, though?” Patrick said for about the thousandth time today. Andy started to convince him once more until Patrick cut him off, changing the subject.

“What do you know about Joe Trohman?” Patrick asked. Andy forgot about what he was going to say about the decathlon.

“Joe? Hmm…I don’t consider myself an expert on the species of the jocks, unless you speak cheerleader,” Andy said as they approached a group of cheerleaders, “Oh my God! Isn’t Joe Trohman, like, the hottie super-bomb?!”

“Oh my God he’s beautiful!” one of the cheerleaders said as the rest of them just sighed like they were in love. Patrick and Andy immediately walked away from the conversation.

“See what I mean?” Andy said once again in his sassy, geeky voice.

“I guess I don’t know how to speak cheerleader,” Patrick replied letting out a giggle.

“Which is why we exist in a completely different universe to Joe the basketball hoe,” Andy sassed.

Patrick was a little annoyed at that, “Well, have you tried to get to know him?”

“You’ll see how it works in the cafeteria tomorrow. Why don’t you sit with us? Unless you’d rather sit with the cheerleaders and talk about the world of makeup and stuffing bras,” Andy said convincingly.

“Well lipstick isn’t really my thing,” Patrick answered. The palms of his hands touched his flat chest as he added, “Yup. No boobs either.” 

Andy copied Patrick, “Same!” he said as he stuck his hand out to high five Patrick. 

 

Joe thought practicing more basketball on the court in his backyard would relief some stress. The only thing on his mind was still Patrick and the whole singing thing. He thought he could trick his mind into liking basketball more if he forced himself to constantly play. No such luck. 

He heard the back door close, but he did not look back to see who it was, because he already knew.

“Can you tell me a little bit about this whole detention thing? I don’t understand it,” Frank said as he stuck his hands out for Joe to pass him the ball.

“It was my fault. I’m sorry, dad,” Joe said as he and his dad began to play a game of one-on-one.

“You know Way will take any opportunity he has to piss me off right? That includes you,” Frank said expecting a reply. Joe did reply, but he had completely changed the subject.

“Dad? Did you ever think about trying something new? But, were too afraid of what your friends might think?” Joe asked desperately.

Frank scored a basket on a distracted Joe, “What? You mean like going left? You’re doing fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, dad. That’s not what I meant. I mean, what if you want to try something really new and it’s a total disaster and all of your friends laugh at you?” Joe corrected.

“Well, they must not really be your friends then. And that was the whole point I was making for the team today. You guys have to look out for each other, and you’re the leader,” Frank answered completely clueless. Joe rolled his eyes, because his dad just didn’t seem to understand what he was getting at.

“No, dad. I mean…” Frank cut him off.

“There’s going to be college scouts at the championship game, Joe. Do you know how much scholarships are worth these days? Frank said as he held the ball to make sure Joe was listening.

“Yeah. I do. They’re worth a lot,” Joe said as he looked down to his feet. This talk was really getting nowhere.

“Hey, look at me, Joe,” Frank said as Joe looked back up. “You think I haven’t noticed you slacking off lately? You’ve got to focus. This is what you want,” Frank said as if he were Joe’s head and heart. Frank hands his son the ball for him to shoot. He finally makes it. Frank lets out a ‘Woo!’ as he walks back inside. Joe just stares at the bouncing ball, just as he did in the gym during free period. Maybe he should stop trying to please everyone. But then again, it’s really not that easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, more singing and dancing is coming in the next chapter :)


	7. Are Brendon and Dallon the Only Ones With Talent in This School?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Way announces that auditions are going to be held during free period. Joe and Patrick both hide in the theatre and watch the auditions. Everyone sucks except for Brendon and Dallon. Patrick announces that he wants to audition and Joe joins in. They are told they are too late. They sing the song with Tyler Joseph and receive a callback.

Joe walks into homeroom and notices Patrick is already in his seat. Their eyes met the second Joe walked in. Joe smiled at Patrick, which make Patrick smile right back and bite his lip. Even though Joe hadn’t known Patrick long, he could already tell that Patrick bit his lip when he was trying to be cute and flirty. And Joe liked it. A lot. Not to mention, Patrick looked incredibly good today. Well actually, Patrick looked incredibly good every day. He was in his usual t-shirt, ripped jeans, and converse. There was something about Patrick’s style that Joe just couldn’t resist.

Joe’s thoughts were interrupted when Brendon walked past Joe, brushing his hand against his arm. Joe noticeably rolled his eyes. Brendon continued to walk past Joe and towards Mr. Way with a small gift in his hand.

“Just a little something for you,” Brendon said as he handed Mr. Way the small present and headed to his seat. 

“Suck up!” Pete, with a usual basketball in his arms, said trying to cover it up with a cough. Brendon stopped and shot him a death glare.

“Alright! That’s enough! Everyone to your seats,” Mr. Way said breaking the tension. “Now, I hope we have all learned some homeroom manners since yesterday! If not, there is still plenty of work to be done in the theatre,” Mr. Way added as Joe looked back to see Patrick’s smile again. “Also, don’t forget that auditions for the musicale will be during free period if you are interested. Isn’t that right, Mr. Trohman,” Mr. Way said signaling Joe to turn around.

“Yessir,” Joe said as he turned to pay attention. He couldn’t help but to turn back once more to see Patrick giggling at him.

“I will be in the theatre for auditions until noon. After that, we are done. I would love to see a few new faces willing to extend the wingspan of their creative spirits,” Mr. Way added.

“There’s no way any of us would ever try something like that! Is he crazy?” Pete whispered to Joe as he rolled his eyes. Joe remained silent, because he knew Pete was wrong. The bell rang for free period and the room emptied.

Joe walked quickly to his locker so no one would see him. He grabbed a textbook and closed his locker to see Pete waiting for him.

“Holy shit, man! Warn me next time! You scared me!” Joe said as his heart skipped a beat.

“Sorry, dude. Just thought I’d let you know the team is getting together right now for some extra practice. What do you want us to run?” Pete asked.

“Uh, actually I can’t make it. I’m behind on my homework and should really get caught up,” Joe said nervously.

“Um…it’s like, the second day back from break. There’s no way you’re behind on your homework. I’m not even behind. That’s coming from the guy who’s been behind since preschool,” Pete said a little annoyed.

Joe let out a forced laugh, “Haha! That’s really funny, man! I’ll catch up with you later?” He quickly walked down the hallway, leaving Pete confused as hell.

“Homework? There’s no way,” Pete said to himself as he followed Joe. Pete had a close eye on Joe until some freshman came and shook his hand. This was obviously a distraction sent by Joe. Joe had disappeared and Pete figured it was not worth it at this point and headed to the gym.

Joe went down a couple flights of stairs until he reached the school’s courtyard. He stood against a wall with his arms crossed as a few students walked by. They had no reason to question where he was going and it was probably more suspicious that he stopped. He beat himself up a little for being so stupid, but he got over it. He continued to walk until he spotted Coach Iero.

“Oh shit!” he whispered to himself as he hid behind a wall. He stood quietly hoping his dad wouldn’t notice. He heard his footsteps stop, then walk closer to him. He thought quickly and ran so his dad wouldn’t catch him. He made his way through the garage where the school held mechanic classes. A mechanic spotted Joe and gave him a very confused look.

“Uh, shortcut,” Joe said as he started walking out. “Late for class,” he covered. The mechanic no longer looked confused and continued with his work. Finally, Joe made his way to the theatre where he hid behind a seat in the back of the room. He was just in time for auditions.

Mr. Way was onstage ready to begin an introduction with Tyler Joseph to his right. Tyler was one of the quiet kids in school. He is the one who wrote the script and composed the songs for the musical. He was very quiet, but very talented.

“This is where the true expression of the artist is realized. Where inner truth is revealed through the actor's journey...WAS THAT A CELL PHONE?!” Mr. Way exclaimed as he heard the school bell ring.

“No sir, that was the warning bell,” Tyler whispered.

“Ah! My apologies! As I was saying, those wishing to audition must understand that time is of the essence. We have many roles to cast and final callbacks will be next week. First, you will sing a few bars and I will give you a sense of whether or not the theater is your calling. Better to hear it from me now than from your friends later. Our composer, Tyler Joseph, will accompany you and be available for rehearsals prior to callbacks. Shall we?” My. Way finished as he made his way down to a seat.

The first one to audition was Mikey Way. He was very confident in his voice and could project very well. Too bad he was completely off-key the entire time.

“It's hard to believe that I couldn't see that you were always right beside me. This feeling's like no other. I want you to know…” Mikey sang horribly as he forgot the rest of the song.

“Uh-huh. Yes, thank you. NEXT!” Mr. Way said. Spencer Smith was next. He was dressed very nice for the occasion. Maybe a bit too nice. He was very quiet and shy, unlike Mikey. He also had smudged sharpie marks on his hand. ‘Could he really not just memorize the lyrics?’ Joe thought.

“It's hard to believe that I couldn't sneeze... see that you were always right there next to beside me,” Mikey sang completely aware of his errors. Brendon and Dallon were sitting in the audience with their mouths wide open.

“Spencer, I admire your bravery. As to your singing...that's a wonderful tie you're wearing. NEXT!” Mr. Way said signaling the next student. The next singer was Ryland Blackinton. He approached the stage and positioned himself so he was leaning on the piano by Tyler. Ryland was not quite as off-key as Mikey and he also remembered all the words. He was still way too off-key to be used anywhere in the show.

“It's hard to believe that I couldn't see that you were always right beside me. This feeling's like no other I want you to know,” Ryland sang as he winked at Mr. Way a few times.

“Please stop. You’re making me very uncomfortable. NEXT!” The next singer was actually good. Like really good. Joe was pretty sure her name was Halsey. Her voice was very beautiful, but the issue was that she sang opera.

“So lonely before I finally found what I've been looking...FOOOOR,” Halsey sang holding the last high note. Tyler was blown away and took his hands off the piano. No one in the room could hear after that last note. She closed her mouth and Mr. Way gave her feedback.

“Ah... Halsey! What courage to pursue a note that has not been accessed in the natural world. Bravo! Brava! Perhaps the spring musicale.” Halsey was not amused and stormed off-stage. The next student wasn’t even a singer. Alex Suarez leapt on-stage, did his best a la seconde turns, and finished with a phenomenal grande jeté. It was all very graceful, until crashes from backstage were heard. Tyler stood up to make sure he was alright. Alex gave a thumbs up from backstage. Mr. Way gave no feedback, because Alex didn’t sing. Victoria Asher and Nate Novarro come on-stage ready for their singing and interpretive dance.

“It’s hard to believe that I could not see,” Victoria sang.

“Couldn’t see,” Nate added.

“That you were always right beside me.”

“Beside me.”

“Thought I was alone.”

“Alone.”

“With no one to hold.”

“To hold.”

“But you were right beside me.”

“Beside me,” Nate finished as the entire room was in shock.

“Well, that was just…very disturbing. Go see a counselor. NEXT!” Mr. Way said very concerned.

 

Patrick had snuck into the back of the theatre, throwing Joe off-guard. “Hey! Did you finally decide to sign up for something?” Patrick asked as Joe jumped up a little.

“Uh, no. You?”

“No. Your friends don’t know you’re here, huh?”

“Hell no! But have you seen what’s been going on in here? Mr. Way is pretty harsh,” Joe warned.

“Oh don’t tell me the Wildcat superstar is afraid?” Patrick joked.

“Nah. I’m not afraid. Just…scared,” Joe said realizing that afraid and scared are the same thing.

“Same,” Patrick agreed.

“Now for our lead role auditions! I see Brendon and Dallon are the only ones signed up? Go ahead and take the stage boys!” Mr. Way said as Brendon and Dallon stood up. Brendon made sure that he got on-stage before his brother.

“What key?” Tyler asked.

“Oh, we had our rehearsal pianist do an arrangement,” Dallon sassed. Tyler just sat down awkwardly waiting for them to begin. Brendon snapped his fingers signaling to close the curtains. The boys warmed their voices up behind the curtain for a few seconds, then the music began. They stuck their hands outside of the curtain and snapped their fingers. Before the lyrics started, the curtains opened and microphones were given to the boys.

Dallon started off the song, “It’s hard to believe that I couldn’t see.” Brendon joined in, “You were always there beside me. Thought I was alone with no one to hold. But you were always right beside me.” They sang as they did a few walks to switch spots.

They decided to make it a bit more exciting by adding some step snaps, points to each other, and jazz squares, “I've never had someone that knows me like you do. The way you do. I've never had someone as good for me as you. No one like you so lonely before I finally found what I've been looking for.” There was an instrumental part and Brendon threw out some tap moves.

“So good to be seen so good to be heard,” Brendon sang as Dallon did a cartwheel. Dallon joined in with, “Don’t have to say a word.” They continued the song doing more cool dance moves. Dallon spun Brendon and threw in another jazz square, which threw Brendon off. Other than that, the routine was flawless. Mr. Way gave them a standing ovation.

“That was beautiful! Thank you Brendon and Dallon! Now, are there any last minute sign ups?” Mr. Way asked. Joe and Patrick hid in their seats hoping he wouldn’t notice them.

 

“Brendon? If you got the part, I imagined that piece being much slower,” Tyler said, but Brendon cut him off.

“If we do the part? Listen here, Tyler. I have been in 17 school productions. And how many times have your compositions been selected?” Brendon said in a very mean voice.

“Um, this is the first,” Tyler answered timidly.

“Right. So that means you don’t offer direction, suggestion, or commentary. In fact, you should be thankful that me and Dallon are here to lift your music out of it’s current obscurity. Are we clear?” Brendon snapped.

“Yessir!” Tyler agreed.

“Awesome! It was nice chatting with you!” Brendon said with a fake smile on his face.

 

“No last minute sign ups?” Mr. Way asked once more. “No? Good. We are done for the day! Thank you all for coming!” Joe was still hiding in his seat, but he noticed Patrick started standing up.

“Patrick, what the hell are you doing?!” Joe whispered.

“I’d like to audition Mr. Way!” Patrick yelled from the back of the room, ignoring Joe. Joe started cursing in his seat, because he knew he had to audition now as well.

“Individual auditions are long, long over, Patrick. And there are simply no other pairs,” Mr. Way said.

Joe felt terrible and stood up, “I’ll sing with him.”

“Joe Trohman? Where is your sports posse or whatever it’s called?” Mr. Way said in shock.

“Team. And I’m here alone. I came to sing with Patrick,” Joe said with confidence.

“Well, I called for last minute sign ups and you didn’t answer. Free period is now over. Maybe the next musicale,” Mr. Way said as he walked out the door. Joe looked over to a very disappointed Patrick. Tyler gathered his music and started to walk when he tripped, letting all of his paper loose. Patrick and Joe went to the stage to help Tyler pick up his music.

“So you’re a composer?” Joe asked trying to start a conversation. Tyler didn’t answer. Instead, just stared at the curly haired boy. “So, you wrote the song Brendon and Dallon sang? And the whole show?” Joe asked again, this time receiving a slight nod from Tyler. “That’s awesome. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the show,” Joe said handing Tyler the last paper.

“Can you tell me why you’re afraid of Brendon and Dallon? I mean, this is your show,” Joe said.

“It is?” Tyler asked.

“Well you are the composer. Isn’t that like the playmaker?” Tyler gave Joe a confused look. Apparently he had no experience with sports. “You know? The playmaker? The one that makes everyone look good?” Joe paused, “That’s you. You’re the playmaker, Tyler.” Tyler smiled at Joe.

“Do you want to hear how the song is supposed to sound?” Tyler asked.

“Of course!” Patrick said as he hurried to the piano. The song was exactly the same version as Brendon and Dallon’s, except it was much slower. Joe started the song off. Patrick joined in halfway through the first verse. The two were completely taken in by the song. All that mattered at the moment was them and the way their voices intertwined. It was beautiful. They began the chorus and their eyes met. It was like magic. Patrick had the most beautiful eyes in the world. Joe wishes he could just hold Patrick forever. The song ended and they had huge grins on their faces, Tyler included. He could feel the love and was on cloud 9 because of the way they made his song sound. Joe and Patrick’s thoughts were interrupted when they heard a voice from the back of the room.

“Trohman, Stump, you have a callback,” Mr. Way said upon leaving the theatre for real this time. Tyler and Patrick’s faces lit up immediately, while Joe stood in shock.

“If you guys wanna rehearse, I’m here during free period and after school, and sometimes during biology class. You guys can come over for breakfast! I have a piano at home! We can meet before school, after school, anytime! After basketball! Whatever works!” Tyler said way too quickly. Joe stopped listening halfway through. What had he gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave me some comments and kudos friends :)


	8. Little Man Causes Big Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The callback list is released and the entire schools knows that Patrick and Joe auditioned. Everyone goes to eat lunch where people start confessing their secrets. The school is upset, because students are expected to belong to one group and participate in one activity.

“CALLBACK?!” Brendon yelled when he saw the callback list.

“Lead role callbacks will be held on Thursday immediately after school. Brendon Urie and Dallon Weekes. Patrick Stump and Joe Trohman,” Dallon read while his brother was still having an anxiety attack.

“Is this a fucking joke?! They didn’t even audition!” Brendon yelled once again.

“Maybe we’re being punked. Maybe…there are hidden cameras! And we’ll be on TV! Maybe we’ll get to meet Ashton Kutcher!” Dallon said seriously.

“Don’t be stupid, Dallon!” Brendon yelled giving him a jab in the stomach. Pete, Ryan, and Max were on their way to lunch when they noticed Brendon was being way more dramatic than usual.

“What’s wrong, man?” Pete asked. Brendon stared at the paper for a few more seconds, then stormed off to the cafeteria. 

Pete looked at the list, “What the hell?”

 

“How dare that new boy sign up to audition for the musical when auditions were way over! I already picked out my dressing room colors!” Brendon whined. He and Dallon were on the balcony above the cafeteria. They were the only ones allowed to eat up there, unless they asked others to sit with them. Dallon was too much of a dipshit to worry, so he ate his lunch in peace. Brendon, however, could not eat. He could only pace back and forth stressing over the callback list. “Someone has to let him know about the rules around here,” Brendon said as he quit pacing for a few seconds.

“Yeah no kidding…wait…what are the rules exactly?” Dallon asked. Brendon gave no answer, only a frustrated groan.

 

On the floor level of the cafeteria, the jocks were sitting at their usual table talking about why the Joe has a callback. Ryan was the only one who wasn’t speaking, just thinking. Finally, he decided he couldn’t let one of his best friends be the only one who lets the school know about his secret.

“You can bet there's nothing but net when I am in a zone and on a roll,” Ryan began to sing. The table gave their attention to Ryan. “But I've got a confession my own secret obsession and it's making me lose control.”

“Everybody gather ‘round!” the table sang getting a few others’ attention.

“Well, if Joe can tell his secret then I can tell mine…I bake,” Ryan confessed.

“What?!” Pete said trying to quiet Ryan down.

“I love to bake! Strudels, scones, even apple pandowdy!” Ryan explained.

“Not another sound!” the table sang as they started walking away from Ryan.

“Someday I hope to make the perfect crème Brule!” Ryan confessed again.

“No no no! Stick to the stuff you know!” the jocks sang while they danced around their table with basketballs. “If you wanna be cool, follow one simple rule. Don’t mess with the flow, no no. Stick to the status quo!” The team looked annoyed and disappointed. They sure did get the cafeteria’s attention, because a nerd started standing up like he was going to confess too.

“Look at me and what do you see? Intelligence beyond compare,” Josh Dun sang to his table of nerds. They usually just read their books during lunch, so they were very confused. “But inside I am stirring, something strange is occurring. It’s a secret I need to share!”

The nerds seemed very comforting. They all reached for Josh’s hand for support, “Open up, dig way down deep.”

“Hip hop is my passion!” Josh exclaimed causing the nerds to back away in shock. “I love to pop and lock and jam and break!” he finished while popping and locking and jamming and breaking.

“Is that even legal?” one of the nerds asked.

“Not another peep!” the table exclaimed.

“It’s just dancing. Sometimes I think it’s cooler than homework!” Josh said, but the nerds were fed up at this point. They picked up their books and began to sing.

“No no no! Stick to the stuff you know. It is better by far to keep things as they are. Don't mess with the flow, no no. Stick to the status quo.” The nerds practically shoved Josh’s face into the textbook he brought. He sat quietly, but noticed someone else standing up.

“Listen well I’m ready to tell about a need that I cannot deny!” a skater named Gabe Saporta began singing. “Dude, there’s no explanation for this awesome sensation and I’m ready to let it fly!”

The rest of the skaters and stoners were ready to listen, “Speak your mind and you’ll be heard!”

“Alright, if Joe wants to be a singer…then I’m coming clean! I play the cello!” Gabe confessed.

“Awesome!” one skater said. He was obviously very high, “What is it?” Gabe began playing an invisible cello to let his friend guess. “A SAW?!” he guessed incorrectly.

“No dude! It’s like a giant violin!” Gabe explained.

“Not another word!” his group exclaimed getting up from their table.

“Do you have to wear a costume?” another skater asked.

“Coat and tie,” Gabe said with confidence.

“No no no! Stick to the stuff you know. If you wanna be cool follow one simple rule,” the skaters sang as they were slamming the table trying to knock some sense into Gabe. “Don't mess with the flow, no no. Stick to the status quo!”

At this point, the entire lunchroom was frustrated. Everyone was confessing things that they shouldn’t be. They need to follow the rules. It turned to chaos.

“No no no! Stick to the stuff you know!” the entire lunchroom sang doing a somehow perfectly choreographer routine. “Stick to the status quo!”

What’s a good musical number without a random dance break? A nerd did a toe touch, some cheerleaders were flipping everywhere, and even Pete threw out a few of his best moves. Gabe played his invisible cello, Josh was doing his popping and locking at his usual table, and Ryan was showing off his desserts that he apparently keeps in his book bag. Brendon was still pacing above the cafeteria watching the chaos. Then, the dance break ended.

“This is not what I want. This is not what I planned. And I just gotta say I do not understand,” Brendon sang. “Something is really.”

“Something’s not right!” Dallon cut his brother off.

“Really wrong!” Brendon finished.

“And we’ve gotta get things back where they belong!” both of them sang. “We can do it!”

“Gotta play!” Gabe exclaimed.

“Stick with what you know!” the skaters scolded Gabe.

“We can do it!” Brendon and Dallon yelled.

“Hip hop hooray!” Josh exclaimed.

“He has got to go!” the nerds shook their heads.

“We can do it!” Brendon and Dallon said once more.

“Crème Brule!” Ryan said showing everyone his creation.

“Keep your voice down low!” the jocks shushed.

“Not another peep. No, not another word. No, not another sound. No,” everyone said.

“Everybody quiet!!!” Brendon yelled shutting up the entire room. Patrick and Andy entered the cafeteria with their lunches ready to eat. The entire room looked immediately to Patrick, because he’s the one that started this whole thing.

“Why is everyone staring at you?” Patrick asked Andy.

“Not me, you,” Andy said.

“Because of the callbacks?! I can’t have people staring at me! I really can’t!” Patrick said nervously.

“No! No no no! Stick to the stuff you know!” the room sang. Patrick walked through the chaos, dodging everyone dancing around him. Brendon walked down the flight of stairs to confront a very confused Patrick. “Stick to the status, stick to the status, stick to the status,” the room kept singing. Someone must’ve spilt their drink in the chaos, because Patrick slipped on it and lost his balance. “Quo!” the room finished. Patrick’s entire tray of chili cheese fries flew out of his hands and right onto Brendon.

“AHHHHH!!!!!” Brendon screamed getting the whole room to shut up once more.

“Oh my God! I am so sorry!” Patrick apologized trying to pick the fries off of Brendon. 

“We are going!” Andy said to Patrick, pulling him away from the drama that was about to come. Joe entered the room just in time to see what was going on. He ran over to Brendon, but Pete pulled him away.

“You do NOT want to be a part of that! Let’s get outta here. I need to talk to you,” Pete said, leaving Brendon covered in food. Finally, Mr. Way came into the cafeteria to see what all the noise was.

“What is going on here??” he asked.

“Look! Patrick just dumped his entire tray of food on me! On purpose! It’s all a part of his plan to ruin our musical! Joe and the rest of the basketball team are obviously in on it too! Why do you think he auditioned? After all the hard work you have put into this show. It’s just not right!” Brendon lied as he stormed off to clean up.

 

“What’s up?” Joe asked Pete pretending not to know what this talk was about.

“What’s up? Are you kidding me? You missed free period workouts to audition for some stupid musical. And now people are confessing!” Pete said grabbing Ryan who happened to be walking by. “Ryan is baking! He’s baking crème brule!” Pete said.

“What’s that?” Joe asked.

“Oh! It’s this creamy custard-like filling with a caramelized surface! It’s very satisfying!” Ryan answered leaving Joe to smile and nod.

“Shut up, Ryan!” Pete said in a very annoyed tone. “Do you see what you’ve done? Our team is falling apart because of your singing thing! And all of the nerds and drama geeks think they can just…talk to us! People think they can do other stuff. Stuff that is not their thing. The championship game is next week and you’re worried about your stupid show tunes. I just…I can’t believe you right now,” Pete said before walking away leaving Joe speechless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all the love from yall! thank you! :)


	9. Apparently Patrick Looks Like A Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Way is really pissed at Coach Iero, so there's some more beef going on between them. Patrick tells Andy a bit of what's on his mind, but he doesn't understand. Ryan tries to win over Brendon, but you'll see how that goes. Joe leaves a notes for Patrick and they meet in a secret hideout. They have some deep conversations and it's pretty cute.

Mr. Way had to believe Brendon, right? He’s always been such a loyal and trustworthy student. And it really didn’t make much sense why Joe Trohman, the basketball star, wanted to audition for the musical anyway. And he sure as hell didn’t know much about Patrick. He noticed Joe’s name on Patrick’s phone when he took it away the first day back from school. It only makes sense that they might be out to ruin the musical together. Whether it was true or not, he needed to have a word with Coach Iero to make sure no one is going to ruin his musical.

Mr. Way busted through the door of the boy’s locker room. There were towels being thrown across the room, almost hitting him in the face. He ran into a couple of half-naked teenage boys too. At this moment, he didn’t even care. He just needed to get to Coach Iero’s office.

“Alright Iero. Just confess to me what you’re doing here!” Mr. Way said as he stormed into the office.

“What are you bitching about now, Way?” Coach Iero said, barely looking up from his paperwork.

“You’re upset because I put your star players in detention and now you’re getting even.” Mr. Way said throwing his arms into the air.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Coach Iero said looking up this time.

“Your all-star son showed up to my audition. Now, I give every student a fair chance, just as anyone working in theater should. You really wouldn’t understand that obviously. But I swear to God, if he and the rest of your team are planning some sort of joke…” Coach Iero cut him off.

“Joe? He doesn’t even sing, Way.”

“Well you sure as hell are wrong about that. But I will not allow my Twinkle Town musicale to be made fun of!” Mr. Way whined.

“Twinkle Town?” Coach Iero asked mockingly.

“Ugh!!! I knew it!” Mr. Way shouted as he stormed out of Coach Iero’s office to cool down.

“Sure sounds like a winner. Good luck on Broadway!” Coach Iero shouted right back.

 

Joe had just gotten done talking to Pete. This whole singing thing was really getting out of control already. He needed to talk to Patrick. Joe thought about private places they could talk. He goes on the roof of the school sometimes to think. ‘Perfect!’ he thought. It’s private AND romantic! It was beautiful up there. Joe knew that leaving a note instead of a text would have a lot more meaning too. He wrote:

‘Patrick,   
meet me by the janitor’s closet on the third floor at 1.  
XO, Joe’  
He walked to Patrick’s locker, slipped the note in, and walked away waiting for one o’clock.

 

Andy and Patrick went outside to eat their lunch, so they were away from all of the drama inside. Andy was practically inhaling his usual vegan choices, while Patrick just stared at the food he got for the second time.

“So, is Brendon like, really mad at me?” Patrick asked stabbing at his lunch.

“Listen, no one has beaten Brendon out of a role since kindergarten. He’s not going to let anyone get in the way of it now,” Andy replied with food in his mouth.

“But I wasn’t trying to beat anyone out!” Patrick said raising his voice.

“You won’t convince Brendon of that. I’m telling you, if there was a way he could play both of the lead roles, he would kick Dallon out in a heartbeat.”

“I mean, it just happened. I don’t know what I was thinking. But I liked it. A lot,” Patrick said staring off into space for a moment. “Do you ever feel like there’s a whole other person inside of you just waiting to come out?” he asked.

Andy thought for a second, “No, not really!” he said before shoving the last fork full of food into his mouth. The two heard the bell ring, signaling that lunch is over. They got up to head to their lockers.

 

Brendon was still a mess from the whole food disaster with Patrick. He was so pissed. His favorite shirt just got stained with chili cheese fries. He opened up his locker to reveal a whole other wardrobe. He picked out a shirt and shut his locker. He almost had a heart attack, because someone was waiting for him behind the opened locker door.

“Hey Brendon!” Ryan said sounding way too excited.

“Umm...hi. What do you want?” Brendon asked.

“Well, I thought since Joe Trohman is going to be in your show…” 

Brendon cut him off. “Joe Trohman is not going to be in my show,” he said with one finger up in Ryan’s face.

“Right. Well, I was thinking maybe you could watch me play basketball sometime? The championship game is coming up, you know,” Ryan said hopefully.

“Watch you play basketball? I would rather stick pins in my eyes,” Brendon sassed back.

“Well, wouldn’t that be very uncomfortable?” Ryan asked.

“Go to hell, short person!” Brendon yelled as he walked away.

“I bake!” he yelled. “If that helps,” he added only quieter this time.

 

Patrick and Andy said their goodbyes and headed to their lockers to get ready for their next class. When Patrick opened his locker, a small, folded piece of paper fell to the ground. He read it and his face instantly turned into a smile. He quickly exchanged his books and rushed to the third floor.

 

Joe held Patrick’s hand and walked him up to his secret hideout. Patrick couldn’t believe what he saw. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. It was full of colorful flowers and it had the perfect view. Not to mention that it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, but it wasn’t too hot. The wind wasn’t blowing either. Joe led Patrick to a small white bench in between a bunch of tulips. The bench was big enough for the two of them to fit, but small enough that their legs were touching.

“Wow! It’s so beautiful up here!” Patrick said in amazement. “So this is your private hideout?” he added.

“Yeah, I guess so. All thanks to the science club. You know what that means, right?” Joe asked.

“The team doesn’t know?”

“Exactly.”

“You pretty much have the school wired, don’t you Joe? I mean, it seems like everyone is dying to be your friend,” Patrick said.

“Unless we lose,” Joe said as he looked down. Patrick grabbed for Joe’s hand in his lap.

“It must be hard being the coach’s son, huh?” he asked.

“I mean, it makes practices a lot harder. It’s a lot of pressure. And I don’t even want to know what he’s going to say about the singing thing. You know, my parent’s friends always say ‘Your son is the basketball guy! You must be so proud!’ And I don’t want to let anyone down, but sometimes I don’t want to be the basketball guy, you know. I just want to be…a guy,” Joe ranted.

“I saw the way you treated Tyler yesterday. Do your friends know that guy?” Patrick asked. Joe looked down in disappointment. “Your friends don’t know enough about you, Joe. At my other schools, I was the freaky math boy. But here, I can be anything I want to be. When I was singing with you I just felt like…a guy,” Patrick said. Joe looked up. He looked into Patrick’s eyes and contemplated kissing him. It was obvious that Patrick wanted to kiss Joe too, but he was too shy to make the first move. Joe knew it had to be him, and he thought about chickening out, but he knew now was the perfect time. Joe put one hand on Patrick’s face and the other on his waist and pulled him in closer. Their lips met and sparks flew. Their first kiss lasted for a few seconds, then Joe gently pulled away.

“You know, you look like a boy too,” Joe joked with their faces still close together. Patrick laughed and put his head on Joe’s shoulder.

“Do you remember in kindergarten how you’d meet a kid and know nothing about them, but immediately they became your best friend, because you didn’t have to be anyone but yourself?” Patrick asked.

“Yeah.”

“Singing with you felt like that.”

“Well I definitely never thought about singing before. Until I met you,” Joe said.

“So, do you want to do the callbacks?” Patrick asked. Joe had almost forgotten that was the whole point for this meeting.

Joe took a deep breath in. “Hey, just call me freaky callback boy!” Patrick laughed.

“You’re a cool guy, Joe. But not for the reasons your friends think. Thanks for showing me your secret hideout. It’s just like kindergarten,” Patrick said as they reached in for one more kiss. They were interrupted by the bell.

“Oh shit. We better get to class,” Joe said grabbing Patrick’s hand and rushing down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life is getting a little crazy. hopefully i can update again soon! and thanks for reading my bullshit friends! :)


	10. He's Not a Problem, He's Just a Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe and Patrick practice their callback song and almost get caught by Brendon and Dallon. Joe ends up being late to basketball practice. Like, really late. Like, practice is over. Joe decides to stay behind and Patrick shows up. Coach Iero is still pissed and he and Joe have a Coach/Player/Father/Son fight.

Joe took every chance he could to work on the song that Tyler wrote for him and Patrick. He went to the empty music room between his government and Spanish class. He locked the door behind him, so no one would walk in on him singing. 

“You know the world can see us,” he sang. “In a way that’s different than wh-” Someone tried opening the door of the music room. Joe immediately shut up, so they wouldn’t recognize his voice. After a few seconds of the door knob wobbling, it stopped and Joe sighed with relief.

 

Dallon was on his way to Spanish class when he heard a voice singing an unfamiliar song. He followed it all the way to the music room. He pressed his ear to the door to listen better. He suspected it was Joe. Tyler must’ve written that song for him and Patrick. ‘That was supposed to be mine and Brendon’s song!’ 

Dallon tried opening the door to confront Joe, but it was locked. He continued wobbling the doorknob just in case it was stuck. The voice stopped. Dallon stepped away from the door, realizing he was getting nowhere with trying to open it. He fell to the ground to look through the crack between the floor and the bottom of the door. All he could see were legs to chairs and music stands. He knew he was having no luck and continued on to class.

 

“Creating space between us,” Patrick sang in the bathroom in between his classes. “Till we’re sep-” He heard someone walking into the bathroom. Chances are they had heard him singing, so he hid in one of the bathroom stalls. The footsteps stopped in what seemed to be in the middle on the bathroom. One of the stall doors was kicked open, which made him jump. Patrick was nervous, because he was definitely going to be found in the stall. Thankfully, the person, who he suspected was Brendon due to the $200 shoes he saw from under the stall, only tried opening one stall until he stood still for a moment, then walked out of the bathroom. Patrick slowly opened the door and let out a sigh of relief.

 

Brendon was walking in the halls when he heard a voice singing. He followed it all the way to the bathroom. When he stepped in, the voice was gone and no one was there. ‘Curse these loud $200 shoes,’ he thought to himself. There’s no way someone could’ve escaped the bathroom as he was walking in. He had to know who was singing that song. He had a suspicion of who it was, but he needed to be sure. He kicked open the door of the first stall, but no one was there. He turned to walk to the next stall, but got distracted by himself in the mirror. He fixed his hair a bit and forgot about what he was doing. He walked out of the bathroom and headed to class.

 

Since it was time to prepare for the musical, theater class was always just sewing costumes, building and painting sets, and anything else that needed to be done. Patrick sat with Andy and sewed costumes. Patrick suspected that the costume he was sewing was for the lead role. And it was a really cool costume. All he could think of was if he got the chance to wear it.

Joe was across the room painting sets. He kept looking up to Patrick, who was just smiling at the sewing job he was doing. Andy noticed Joe looking and nudged Patrick to get his attention. Patrick looked up and their eyes met. Neither of them could stop smiling. Mr. Way noticed them not doing their job and walked towards Joe to get him to focus. It worked, because Joe immediately looked down in fear. Patrick laughed, shook his head, and went back to work.

 

Coach Iero blew his whistle for the team to start their suicides. If a player didn’t show up for practice, the rest of the team payed the price, unfortunately. 

“Not fast enough! Let’s go! I need to see some effort!” Coach Iero said in an intimidating voice. “I need to see more hustle! Touch the ground! No cheating! Let’s go!” The team didn’t usually have to run suicides, because everyone always showed up for practice. They were huffing and puffing, only making Coach Iero more frustrated. “You can all thank Joe for not showing up today and making you do this! Come on!” he yelled once more.

 

After school, Joe thought he could sneak out of basketball for just a few minutes to practice the callback song with Tyler and Patrick. They met in the music room so they had some privacy and a piano. Joe and Patrick had their lyrics memorized, they had just never practiced together before. And Tyler was always flawless when it came to playing the piano. With just a few more practices, they were going to be perfect. A few minutes into practice turned into an hour, though.

“Oh shit! Do you see what time it is? I have to get to practice! I’m so sorry! Great rehearsal, guys!” Joe said as he grabbed his belongings and sprinted to the gym. Patrick and Tyler looked at each other with wide eyes. They didn’t realize an hour had gone by either. They felt guilty for not helping keep track of time, but they knew it wasn’t their fault.

“Can we still stay and practice a little longer. I think I really need it. Plus, I’m having way too much fun,” Patrick asked. Tyler nodded his head and began playing the song again.

 

Coach Iero blew his whistle and the team stopped their conditioning.

“Alright, guys. That’s it for today. Hit the showers,” Coach Iero said. The team headed towards the locker room just as Joe was running into the gym. Coach Iero and the whole team looked extremely pissed. No one said a word. Joe couldn’t even see the look on his father’s face, but he knew it was not pleasant.

“I think I’ll stay for a little while. Work on some free throws,” Joe said grabbing the nearest ball.

“I think your team deserves some effort from you today. We spent the whole practice conditioning,” Coach Iero said as he walked away. Joe was now alone in the gym. He shot two free throws, but as he went for a third, he heard a voice behind him.

“So this is your real stage?” Patrick asked.

Joe laughed, “I guess if you want to call it that. It’s more like a smelly gym though.” Joe handed Patrick his basketball. Patrick held it for a couple seconds, then decided to shoot it. He made it on his first try despite not being very good at any sport.

“Whoa! Don’t tell me you’re good at hoops too?!” Joe said very impressed.

“Well I did score 41 points on a league championship game once, you know,” Patrick said.

“No you did not,” Joe said in shock.

“Oh yeah! And I invented the space shuttle and microwave popcorn that day too,” Patrick said laughing as he picked the ball up and handed it to Joe.

“Haha you’re very funny, Patrick,” Joe said making another basket. “I missed practice today because of rehearsal. I hope you feel bad,” Joe said sounding a little too serious.

“Hey, you’re the one that said you’d sing with me,” Patrick said getting defensive.

“Patrick, chill. I’m just kidding.” Patrick smiled and took the ball from Joe. He dribbled it away from him. “Hey! That’s traveling!” Joe said as he caught up to Patrick and picked him up from behind. They were laughing and having a good time until they heard the gym door open.

“Excuse me, but this is a closed practice,” Coach Iero said very annoyed.

“Dad, come on. Practice is over,” Joe said trying to defend Patrick.

“Practice isn’t over until the last player leaves the gym. Team rule. Remember?” Coach Iero said.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Patrick said looking down at the ball in his hands.

“Uh, dad, this is Patrick Stump,” Joe said trying to break the awkwardness. His dad didn’t care about the awkward though.

“Oh, you’re detention buddy?” he asked. There was a moment of silence.

“I’ll just see you later, Joe,” Patrick said as he handed the ball back to Joe. “It was nice meeting you, Coach Iero,” he added as he quickly walked out of the gym.

“Dad, detention was my fault, not his,” Joe said as soon as Patrick was out of the gym.

“Joe, you’ve never missed a single practice. Not until…that boy showed up!” Coach Iero said raising his voice.

“That boy’s name is Patrick. And he happens to be very nice,” Joe said defending Patrick once more.

“Well if he’s the reason you’re missing practice, he must not be very nice,” Coach Iero yelled.

“He’s not a problem, dad! He’s just a boy!” Joe said yelling right back.

“But you’re not just a boy, Joe,” Coach Iero said quieting his voice. “You’re the team leader. If you’re not focused, you’re letting so many people down. You know, the championship game doesn’t come along that often. It’s something special.”

“There are a lot of things that are special,” Joe said.

“But you’re the playmaker. Not a singer,” Coach Iero said.

“Did you ever think I could be both?!” Joe yelled. His dad had no answer to that, just a look down to his feet. Joe shook his head, dropped the basketball to the floor, and walked out of the gym. When he opened the door, he found his whole team, still sweaty in their practice clothes, with their ears pressed to the doors. Joe didn’t say anything. He just rolled his eyes and continued to walk.

“What’s going on?” Max asked.

“Come on, guys,” Pete said leading the team to the locker room to shower and change. The whole team didn’t need to be involved with what’s going on. Pete knew Joe better than anyone and he knew the best thing right now was to let Joe cool down. He would talk to him tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay lol i uploaded a new chapter sooner than i thought i could. ANYWAY thanks for reading! and also thank you for all of your nice comments! they mean a lot!


	11. Basically, Don't Have Pete or Andy as Friends and You'll Be Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe and Pete get into a heated conversation at the library. Pete and Andy create a plan to make sure Joe and Patrick get their heads in the game. Brendon and Dallon think that Pete and Andy are trying to make sure Joe and Patrick get the lead roles. Joe says some things to his team that he shouldn't have said. He definitely didn't know Patrick heard everything he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long to update! classes and homework and dance have been crazy lately and i havent had time, but finals are here and i have more time on my hands! im hoping to finish this within the next week or 2!

“What kind of spell has the freaky math boy cast that makes you all of a sudden want to be in a musical?” Pete asked Joe. Joe had spent most of the day trying to avoid Pete and this entire conversation. Since his team heard the fight that he and Coach Iero got into the day before, he knew Pete was going to bug him about it. For the most part, he did a good job of avoiding Pete. However, he caught up with him in the library halfway through the day.

“I decided to do it on my own. Not because Patrick cast some spell on me, okay? Who cares anyway?” Joe asked as he was looking through the countless amount of shelves for the book her needed for his history project.

“Who cares? How about me? Your best friend since kindergarten?” Pete asked. Joe wasn’t sure how to answer this. Thankfully, the school librarian interrupted their conversation to shush them.

“Quiet in here, Mr. Wentz,” she said with her pointer finger over her lips.

“Sorry! But, it’s him, not me,” Pete said pointing to Joe with one hand and holding his usual basketball in the other. The librarian rolled her eyes and continued her work. “Look, Joe. You’re a basketball player. Not a singer,” Pete added on while pushing his basketball up against the book that was now against Joe’s chest. Joe was extremely annoyed with Pete at this point, pushed the ball back, and walked away. Pete caught right up to him, though, “Have you ever seen Michael Crawford on a cereal box?”

“Who the hell is Michael Crawford?” Joe asked turning towards his friend.

“Exactly! Michael Crawford was in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.”

“And why would you know that, huh?” Joe interrupted.

“Well, if you would let me finish,” Pete said rolling his eyes with his basketball still in his hands. “My mom has seen that damn musical 27 times. 27 times! She is completely obsessed! She put his picture in our refrigerator.”

“In it?”

“Yup. In it. Not on it. My point is that if you stick to basketball, you will end up on cereal boxes. If you stick to singing, your picture will end up in my mom’s refrigerator.” Joe walked away annoyed once again, but this time towards a table where he could hopefully start his project. Pete, of course, had to follow again. He was not finished. “Think of it this way, man. How is the team supposed to focus on the biggest game of the year when our captain is worried about singing and wearing leotards?”

“No one said anything about leotards, Pete,” Joe sassed back.

“Not yet, that is,” Pete said as the librarian came back.

“Mr. Wentz. What did I say?” she asked.

Pete set his basketball down on the table and brought his arms into the air to show his innocence, “I tried telling him!” She walked away once again. “I really tried telling him,” Pete repeated as he picked up his ball and left the room.

 

Brendon and Dallon were walking to class when Brendon noticed that Pete walked into the chemistry classroom. “Wait! Pete doesn’t have chemistry right now,” he said as he walked quicker to see why he was in there. Dallon just followed right along. Brendon stood in the doorway of the classroom, making sure he wouldn’t be seen. Pete had brought Ryan and Max with him in there as well. Out of all things they could’ve been doing in the classroom, they were talking to Andy and the other nerds. “Why is Pete talking to Andy?” Brendon asked his brother.

“They’re probably planning a way to make sure Joe and Patrick beat us out. The jocks rule most of the school. If Joe gets the lead, they rule the whole student body,” Dallon answered.

“And if the nerds hook Patrick up with Joe, the science club becomes cool,” Brendon added. “Dallon, we need to find a way to save OUR show from people who don’t know the difference between a Tony Award and Tony Hawk.” Brendon walked away to fulfill his plan as Dallon followed, as usual.

 

Immediately following his discussion with Joe, Pete grabbed Ryan and Max and headed towards the chemistry classroom for help. The three approached the classroom and walked towards Andy, who was helping a few students with their homework. He looked up with a confused look on his face. Before he could talk though, Pete beat him to it, “We need to talk.”

“What’s up?” Andy asked as he set his pencil down.

“Joe is not focused on the team and I’m assuming Patrick isn’t focused on…whatever this is, right?” Andy rolled his eyes, but also nodded his head. “Alright, well we need to get rid of this singing thing then, huh?”

“Well I suppose that’s how we could get rid of the problem,” Andy said with more interest. “What do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking that the team and I could either knock some sense into Joe or get him so worked up that he will say what we want to hear to get us to shut up. And if Patrick heard him say those things, it’ll piss him off enough to not want to do the callbacks,” Pete explained.

“Alright. How do we get Patrick to hear Joe, though?” Andy asked.

“That’s where you come in. You’re smart, right?”

“Is that even a question?”

“Right. Well, you must have some way to secretly record Joe and show Patrick, right?” Pete asked hopefully.

“Actually, I do. I have a hidden camera back home that I can bring. One of you guys can wear it and I can hook it up to my computer,” Andy explained.

“Perfect! Meet me outside tomorrow before school?” Pete asked while adding a wink at the end. This made Andy blush and smile.

“Sounds great,” Andy said quickly hoping to get back to work and away from this situation.

 

Pete was waiting outside for Andy. He felt like he had been waiting there forever, but maybe he was just getting anxious to see Andy again. He checked his phone. 7:42. As he looked up, he saw the ginger walking towards him. Pete quickly straightened up and smiled. He was excited, but he knew thier meeting had to be brief and low-key.

“Alright my clock is set for 7:43 Mountain Standard time. We synced?” Pete asked trying to make Andy laugh, but failed.

“Yeah, whatever,” Andy replied while handing him the tiny webcam.

“Okay, we are a go during lunch period, right? 12:05?” he asked again.

“For God’s sake, Pete! Yes! We are a go! But we are not Charlie’s Angels, alright?” Andy said trying not to show any attraction to Pete.

“Hey, a guy can dream, right?” Pete asked smiling as Andy walked away.

 

Joe received a text from Pete just 10 minutes ago telling him to meet him in the locker room. He was still a little salty about the other day, but Pete was still his best friend. He walked towards his locker and saw his entire team standing around a table full of plaques, trophies, and pictures. 

“What the hell is this, guys?” Joe asked rolling his eyes.

“‘Spider’ Bill Netrine, class of 1972, voted MVP in the league championship game,” Pete said with a familiar picture in his left hand.

“Sam Nedler, class of 2002. Also known as ‘Sammy Slamma Jamma. Captain and MVP of the league championship game,” Ryan said holding another frame.

“The ‘Thunder Clap’ Hap Hadden, class of 1995. Led the Wildcats to back-to-back city championships. A true legend,” Max added.

“Yes. A true legend, indeed,” Pete said putting his picture down. “But, do you think any of these legends became legends by being in a musical just days before their championship games?”

“Getcha head in the game!” the team shouted.

“Of course not. These legends became legends because they never took their eyes off of the prize,” Pete continued.

“Getcha head in the game!” the team said again.

“Now, who was the first sophomore to make staring varsity?” Pete asked the team.

“Joe!” they all shouted.

“And who voted him team captain this year?” Pete asked.

“Us!” they shouted.

“And who is going to get their asses kicked in the biggest game of the year on Friday because Joe, our captain, is worried about some audition?” Pete asked.

“We are,” the team answered not so enthusiastically.

“Seriously, guys. There are 12 people on this team. Not just me, okay?” Joe said trying to get his teammates to understand.

“Just 12? Oh, no. That’s where you’re wrong, Joe. You’re forgetting one key member of this team,” Pete said as he picked up another picture frame and handed it to Joe. Joe looked down when he noticed who it was. “Frank Iero, class on 1981, Wildcat basketball champion. Champion, father, and now coach. It’s a winning tradition,” Pete said.

Joe continued to look down for a few more moments before he spoke, “If you guys don’t think I’m not going to put 110% of myself into this game, then you really don’t know me!” Joe said very frustrated. His teammates looked at him not knowing what to say next. “I thought you guys were my friends. Win together, lose together, teammates!” Joe added. Pete low-key signaled Max to turn on the webcam Andy gave them.

“But suddenly Patrick…and the singing,” Pete said setting Joe up.

“Pete, I am for the team! I have always been for the team! Patrick is just someone I met! The singing thing is nothing, okay? Probably just a way to keep my nerves down. I don’t know. What I do know is that it means nothing to me. You guys are my friends and my team. Patrick isn’t important. I’ll forget about him. I’ll forget about the audition and we will win that championship! Is everyone happy now?!”

 

Patrick was in the chemistry classroom right before lunch to work on some homework, so he wasn’t up all night trying to finish it. He was interrupted when Andy and the rest of the scholastic team came in. “Patrick, we have to talk to you,” Andy said.

“Umm, okay. But can it be fast? I have a lot of stuff to do,” Patrick replied.

“Just hear us out for a few minutes,” Andy added.

“Okay, fine,” Patrick said as he closed his book to listen.

“From lowly Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon, to early warriors, medieval knights. All leading up to lunkhead basketball man,” Andy said as another student rolled out a poster of a famous basketball player. Patrick wasn’t able identify who the player was because first of all, he didn’t know sports, and second of all, because Joe’s head was pasted on top of the other’s head. This made Patrick let out a little giggle. “Yes, our culture worshipped the aggressor throughout the ages and we end up with spoiled, overpaid, bonehead athletes who contribute little to civilization other than slam dunks and touchdowns. That is the inevitable world of Joe Trohman,” Andy said which was starting to make Patrick slightly uncomfortable. “But the path of the mind, the path we are currently on, ours is the path that has brought us these people,” Andy added while opening up his laptop to reveal several pictures of people that Patrick recognized immediately. “Eleanor Roosevelt, Frida Kahlo, Sandra Day O’Connor, Madame Curie, Jane Goodall, Oprah Winfrey, and so many others.”

“Uh, listen, Tyler is waiting for me to rehearse. I’ve gotta go,” Patrick said standing up, but Andy sat him back down.

“Patrick, Joe represents one side of evolution. And our side, the side of education and accomplishment is the future of civilization. That is the side you need to be on,” Andy said as Patrick sat in silence. “I think you should see this, Patrick,” he added as he opened up the window that revealed Joe and his team in the locker room. Patrick heard everything he had said. He heard that singing and the callback aren’t important. He also heard that he means nothing to Joe. He looked down to his feet to hide his now red face from his friends. 

When Andy decided that Patrick had heard enough, he shut his laptop and began to speak, “Behold, lunkhead basketball man.” Patrick was still looking down and suddenly felt a tear running down his cheek. “So, Patrick, we’d love to have you for the scholastic decathlon!” Andy said completely obliviously to how Patrick was feeling. “Do you want to grab some lunch?” he asked. Patrick finally looked up and showed Andy that he was a crying mess. Patrick shook his head, saying nothing. “Well, if you change your mind, we’ll be there,” Andy said as he pushed everyone out of the room to let Patrick cry on his own.


	12. When There Was Me & You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Patrick is really sad, so he sings about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I literally just posted a chapter a half hour ago and here's another one. I'm in study hall and im defs not doing anything productive but it's fine *insert sassy emoji*

Patrick sat in the same spot for a few minutes now. Tears were still running down his cheeks. Joe seemed like such a sincere person to him. It seemed as if who everyone thought he was wasn’t really him. He thought Joe was a kind-hearted person who wasn’t able to truly express himself in fear of letting everyone down. And boy, was he wrong. Joe was exactly the opposite of that.

Patrick’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard cheering and shouting coming from outside. He finally stood up to see what was going on. He looked out the window to see that Joe was surrounded by half the school and being lifted by his teammates. Everyone seemed to be so happy now that Patrick was out of the picture. Now everyone can focus on that stupid basketball game.

Patrick decided he shouldn’t watch them celebrate and turned away. Right now, all he felt like doing was singing. “It’s funny when you find yourself looking from the outside,” he sang as he slowly walked towards the classroom door. “I’m standing here but all I want is to be over there.” Patrick’s voice could put a smile on anyone’s face. It’s so soulful and pretty. However, he was not happy and no one else was around. The words he was singing only wanted him to cry more.

“Why did I let myself believe that miracles could happen? Cause now I have to pretend that I don’t really care,” he continued as he finally reached the hallway. “I thought you were my fairy tale. A dream when I’m not sleeping,” he sang as he walked down the hallway with his hands in his pockets. When he’s sad, he usually keeps close to himself. “A wish upon a star that’s coming true.”

He had never cried over a boy before. Mainly because no one had ever treated him the way Joe had. He was always the new boy, the freaky math boy, or fag. This sort of sadness was different. Something he had never felt before. Instead of wanting to keep to himself now, he wanted to let his body go, hoping that it would get rid of the pain. He quickly took his hands out of his pockets and continued to sing. “But everybody else could tell that I confused my feelings with the truth. When there was me and you,” he said reaching for the balcony that went over the staircase.

“I swore I knew the melody that I heard you singing. And when you smiled you made me feel like I could sing along,” he sang as he swayed side to side on the balcony. “But then you went and changed the words. Now my heart is empty. I’m only left with used-to-be and once upon a song.” Singing these words somehow came so naturally to him. They were coming from his heart and they stung coming out of his throat. He crouched down to try to release some frustration. No such luck, though. 

He stood up and walked down the nearby staircase. He sang the chorus that he had made up just thirty seconds ago. He stopped halfway down the stairs to hold tightly onto the railing. After a few moments, he threw himself down the last few steps and continued down another hallway. “I can’t believe that I could be so blind,” he sang as he approached a huge basketball poster hanging by the gym. It had pictures of the starting lineup team. As the captain, Joe’s picture was the largest and also in the middle. Patrick stood by it for a few moments. “It’s like you were floating while I was falling and I didn’t mind. Cause I liked the view. I thought you felt it too,” he sang as he looked at the picture of Joe. He decided to walk away after being silent for probably too long. “When there was me and you,” he finished as he walked to his locker in a busy hallway. He opened his locker to retrieve a book for his next class. His tears were finally gone, but his sadness was still very obvious. 

Joe noticed Patrick at his locker and approached him, not knowing Patrick had heard everything he said. “Hey you! How’s it going?” Joe asked with a smile on his face. Patrick remained silent and just stared into his locker. “Look, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” Joe said as Patrick slammed his locker door shut.

“And here it is. I know what it’s like to carry a load with your friends. I get it. You’ve got your friends, Joe. It’s okay. So we’re good,” Patrick said in a harsh tone.

“Good about what? I was going to talk to you about the callbacks,” Joe said very confused.

“Don’t worry. I don’t wanna do the callbacks either. Who were we kidding? You’ve got your team and now I’ve got mine. I’ll do the scholastic decathlon and you’ll win the championships. It’s where we belong and everyone will be happy,” Patrick said as he handed Joe his copy of the sheet music they were using for their callback. “Go Wildcats,” he continued.

“But I-” Joe started.

“Me either,” Patrick interrupted and walked away. Joe looked down at the music and his heart instantly ripped in two. The crowd behind him was oblivious to what just happened and continued to cheer for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LEAVE SOME GOOD SHIT DOWN BELOW


	13. Thank You For The Stubbornness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe and Patrick are both really sad about what their friends did. Their friends try apologizing, but they are very stubborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am on a roll on updating. honestly, ill probs finish this...like....tonight or tomorrow. i have nothing better to do (except study for my finals oops) ANYWAY  
>  if yall left kudos or comments thatd be pretty kickass :)

It’s now after school. Joe wants to do nothing but go home and try to forget everything that’s going on. He runs outside past his team. “Hey Captain!” Pete says as he tries to give Joe the basketball he’s holding. Joe ignores Pete and the others and continues to run away from everyone.

“What the hell is his problem?” Ryan asked. Pete knows exactly what’s going on. He figured that he had talked to Patrick. Since Pete is Joe’s best friend, he knew that the best thing for him now was to leave him alone.

“Don’t worry about it,” Pete answered as he passed to ball to another teammate.

 

When Joe is frustrated, he goes to the basketball court he has in his backyard. It seems to always make him feel better when he’s out there. However, this time he can’t focus. He is missing every single basket. It is really only making him more frustrated. He is groaning and shouting at himself.

Frank is inside when he hears a familiar voice shouting in frustration. He opens the sliding door to reveal his son his missing every attempted shot. Joe gets so frustrated that he ends up throwing a ball at the fence and just lays in the grass. Frank decided that he should let him cool down on his own for a bit and goes inside. Joe puts his hands on his face to keep himself from crying. Joe never cries and doesn’t even want to show the birds that he’s sobbing.

 

Patrick has always been super emotional. He’s never had a friend close enough to talk to about his problems. No one ever wanted to be his friend. And when he did make friends, he left his school right away and lost touch. Sure he could talk to his mom, but he’s never had boy problems before. He didn’t feel comfortable with talking to her about Joe.

He decided that getting some fresh air might help him calm down a little. He walked outside to the balcony that is connected to his bedroom. He got goosebumps as he felt the cool breeze against his skin. It felt great for a second. The freshness made him forget his problems for a brief period of time. When he became used to the cool air, he remembered how Joe had broken his heart. He had no more tears to cry today, so he put his elbows on the railing and looked at the view that he had not yet appreciated since he moved in.

 

Patrick walked through the cafeteria with his tray of food. He was still feeling blue, so he looked down to his feet most of the time. He ended up running into Joe, which made him look up. They stare at one another for a moment, but Patrick decided to walk away from the situation.

Andy spots Patrick just in time for him to see him and Joe’s awkward encounter. He just watches, hoping someone will start a conversation. When Patrick walks away, Andy sighs and just signals Patrick to sit with them. Patrick definitely saw Andy, but decided to sit by himself for the day. He was not in the mood to talk to anyone.

Pete was trying to catch up to Joe when he saw Patrick coming closer. He slowed down to allow the two to say something. When Patrick walked away, he ran up to Joe to try to comfort him. “Hey, Joe,” he says as he gets closer. Joe ignores his presence and walks off into the crowd just ahead of them.

Pete looks to his left to see Andy with a disappointed look on his face. The two immediately walk up to each other. “We need to do something about this right away,” Pete said to Andy.

“Agreed. It hurts me to see them like this. Especially since it is our fault,” Andy added.

 

Pete grabs Ryan and Max and leads them to Joe’s not-so-secret hideout. Pete has seen Joe go up there a few times, but has never said anything to him. They walk up the stairs and see Joe sitting on the old, wooden bench.

“What are you guys doing here?” Joe asked being thrown off guard.

“We just wanted to let you know we had another team meeting,” Pete started.

“Oh. Wonderful,” Joe said very annoyed.

“Come on, man. You never let me finish. We had a team meeting about how we haven’t been acting like a team. Well, us. Not you. Look, about the singing thing-” Pete said being cut off once again.

“Look, Pete, I don’t even wanna talk about it, okay?” Joe said turning the opposite direction of his friends.

“We just want to let you know that we are going to be there. Cheering for you. Okay? We support it,” Pete finally said.

“Wait, what?” Joe asked turning back around.

“Yeah. If singing is something you want to do, we should be boosting you up. Not tearing you down,” Ryan said.

“Yeah. I mean, Win or lose, we are teammates. That’s what we’re about. Even if you turn out to be the worst singer in the world,” Pete added with a laugh.

“Which we don’t actually know, because we’ve never heard you sing,” Max added.

“And you aren’t going to hear me sing. Because Patrick won’t even talk to me…and I don’t know why,” Joe said as he looked down to his feet.

Pete looked to Ryan and Max. ‘Here goes nothing,’ they all thought. “We do,” Pete confessed.

“Here, man,” Ryan started as he handed Joe some baked goods that were sitting in his backpack. “I just baked these. You might want to try one before we tell you the rest.” Joe cautiously took the goodies from Ryan, worried about what was about to come.

 

Andy had texted Patrick telling him to meet in the chemistry classroom in five minutes. Sure enough, Andy was waiting in there with their usual group of nerds when Patrick arrived.

“Hey, Patrick. Why don’t you sit down,” Andy offered. Patrick had a confused and worried look on his face, but accepted the offer. “Listen, we were jerks. Actually, we were much worse than jerks. We were…mean people. We thought Joe and the whole singing thing was destroying our chances of having you on the scholastic decathlon team,” Andy apologized.

“I heard what Joe had to say. I’m your team now. Done, okay?” Patrick snapped.

No, not okay. Not done. We knew that Pete could get Joe to say things he didn’t mean and make you want to forget about the callbacks. We planned the whole thing and we are so sorry,” Andy apologized once again.

“No one forced Joe to say anything. And you know what? It’s okay. We should be preparing for the decathlon now. Time to move on,” Patrick said being extremely stubborn.

“No! It’s not time to move on, Patrick,” Andy said getting very frustrated. “The decathlon is…whatever. But how you feel about us and even more, Joe, that’s what really matters.” Patrick finally had enough of what they were trying to tell him and left. “We tried,” Andy said to the rest, not knowing what else to do.


	14. Joe Trohman: Protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe shows up at Patrick's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S SO CLOSE TO BEING DONE!!!! THANKS FOR READING FRIENDS

Joe had tried talking to Patrick at school, calling him, and texting him. Each time, Joe was ignored. He decided that if he went to Patrick’s house, it would be harder for him to refuse to talk to him. He walked up the sidewalk of his house and knocked on the door. He was hoping for Patrick to answer, but he knew that would probably not be the case. He waited nervously for a few seconds, which actually felt like a few hours, then the door finally opened.

“Hi, Ms. Stump. I’m Joe Trohman,” Joe introduced.

“Oh, hi Joe! You must be the boy that Patrick tells me about,” she said as she poked her head back inside. Patrick came down the stairs when he heard Joe’s voice and signaled to his mom that he didn’t want to talk to Joe. “Um, but actually, Patrick is kind of busy with homework and such right now, so it’s not really a good time.”

“I really messed up, Ms. Stump. If you could, could you let Patrick know I stopped by?” Joe asked.

Ms. Stump could tell he was being very sincere. Mothers know best. She flashed a smile and said, “I can. Goodnight, Joe.”

“Thank you. Goodnight,” he replied walking away as the door shut behind him. He started walking back towards his house, but decided he had something else in mind instead.

 

Patrick’s heart was racing because of Joe’s visit just now. He returned to his room to try to forget it. He sat on his bed when his phone started ringing. He looked and saw the picture of Joe that he took at the ski lodge on New Year’s Day. He rolled his eyes, but decided he can’t ignore Joe forever and pressed the answer button.

“Hello?” Patrick answered.

“Listen to me for 2 seconds, Patrick. None of what you heard was true. I was sick of my friends bugging me about singing and being with you, so I said things that I knew would shut them up. I didn’t mean any of it,” Joe explained.

“Well, you sounded pretty convincing to me,” Patrick said.

“You have to believe me when I say that the guy you met at the ski lodge is more me than the guy who said those stupid things in the locker room,” Joe said almost convincingly.

“Joe, the whole singing thing is making the school go insane. You even said so yourself. You’re being treated different because of it.”

“Maybe it’s because I don’t want to just be the basketball guy. They can’t handle that. And now I’ve realized that’s their problem, not mine.”

“Yeah, well, what about your dad?”

“It’s not about my dad. This is how I feel and I’m not letting my team down. They let me down. So I’m going to sing. What about you?”

“Joe, I just really don’t know.”

“Well, you need to say yes, because I brought you something.” Patrick’s heart skipped a beat when Joe said this.

“What the hell does that even mean, Joe?”

“Turn around,” Joe answered. Patrick froze for a second, but turned around. What he found was Joe standing outside on Patrick’s balcony. Patrick put his phone down and opened the door. Joe stood outside and sang, “This could be the start of something new. It feels so right to be here with you, oh. And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart, the start of something new.” He handed Patrick the sheet of music that he gave him earlier. “It’s a pairs audition, Patrick. What do you say?”

Patrick said nothing, but the smile on his face said it all. He grabbed the sheet of paper from Joe and set it on the desk right next to the door. Joe took his hand and led him outside. They stood for a while at railing of the balcony saying nothing. Joe had already said everything that needed to be said. Right now, their actions were their words. Their hands were intertwined as they looked up at the stars. Since Patrick was about five inches shorter than Joe, he rested his head on his shoulder. Patrick let go of Joe’s hand and wrapped his arms around his extremely fit body. Joe put his arm around Patrick’s waist and enjoyed the hug from Patrick. 

Joe felt like Patrick’s protector. Having Patrick wrap around him in the way he was made him feel like he was needed. Like he was important. No one had ever made Joe feel like this before. It crossed his mind that maybe he was falling in love. He very much enjoyed the position they were currently in, but he needed more. He turned to face Patrick, which made Patrick’s head come up. Joe brought his other hand to Patrick’s waist as well and brought him in closer. Their lips touched and at that moment, Patrick felt as if he was falling in love too.


	15. Brendon Urie: Life Ruiner. He Ruins People's Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brendon and Dallon are not happy when they hear Joe and Patrick singing. Brendon thinks of a plan to save their show.

Just the night before, Joe and Patrick had been looking up at the stars together after deciding to sing together. They agreed that while singing was important, so were their other teams. They planned to meet with Tyler every day after their other practices. Both boys were still on Cloud 9 from the previous night. They couldn’t keep each other off their minds in class and their separate practices ended up being very productive. When the clock struck 5p.m., Patrick and Joe quickly left the chemistry classroom and gym to meet for callback practice. Joe approached the empty hallway that they agreed to meet in. Patrick had not yet arrived, which is surprising since Joe had to shower and change his clothes quickly. He waited a few minutes before Patrick finally showed up.

“Hey! You’re late!” Joe joked as Patrick ran up to him.

“Oh, shut up!” Patrick replied not stopping to say more. He just grabbed Joe’s hand and dragged him into the music room to meet Tyler.

 

Brendon and Dallon were exiting the auditorium when they heard some of the most beautiful voices in existence coming from a nearby room. “Do you hear that?” Brendon asked his brother as he quickly stopped in his tracks.

Dallon paused for a moment before responding, “Yeah, I do. They sound really good!”

Oh, shut up, Dallon!” Brendon snapped as he followed the voices. He found that it was coming from the music room. He looked in the window to see what was going on.

“We’re soaring,” Patrick sang.

“Flyin’,” Joe added.

“Yeah, we’re breakin’ free,” the two sang together, completely unaware of the fact that Brendon and Dallon were watching them from just a few feet away.

“Who do they think they are still trying to steal our show?” Brendon asked before turning to Dallon. “We have to do something about this.”

“Brendon, what could we possibly do?” Dallon asked confused as always.

“Well, let’s see. The callbacks are on Thursday. And the scholastic decathlon and championship game are both on Friday,” Brendon thought. Suddenly, he got an idea, “Too bad these events weren’t all happening on the same night.” Brendon shot an evil smile at his brother.

“Okay but if they were on the same night, Patrick and Joe couldn’t make…” Dallon paused finally realizing what was happening. “Oh! I get it now!” he exclaimed. Brendon rolled his eyes and walked off to think of a way to make his plan work.

 

It was about 7:30 in the morning and Tyler was already at the piano backstage in the auditorium. Usually at this time, he would be attempting to write more music. However, lately he has been practicing the piece that Joe and Patrick were going to sing. He knew it like the back of his hand and could even play it in his sleep, but there was something about the notes he played that made him feel all warm in fuzzy inside. It could be the way that Joe and Patrick sang the lyrics together, but maybe it was also because he really liked playing the song.

Tyler was about to play the first note when the door flew open. Mr. Way stormed in with a coffee in one hand and a clipboard in the other. Brendon was following, going off on something most likely unimportant. Behind Brendon was his usually dazed brother, Dallon. It didn’t seem like he was there much reason other than moral support for Brendon. None of them noticed Tyler behind the tall piano, so he decided to eavesdrop. 

“Brendon, it is way too early for me to be hearing any gossip about Joe Trohman and that Stump boy. But, if you are telling me as co-presidents of the drama club that changing the date of the callbacks is what’s best for the theatre program, then I may take it into consideration,” Mr. Way said most likely just trying to get Brendon to shut up before walking off to his classroom.

Brendon and Dallon stayed behind. “So, is that a yes?” Dallon asked Brendon. Tyler hears no reply from Brendon. He does, however, hear Brendon’s very expensive shoes walk back towards the door. Since something like this was coming from Brendon, it was obviously not going to be good. Tyler didn’t have enough evidence of what just happened to tell anyone about it. He didn’t want to freak anyone out over something that was not necessary to worry about. Tyler sighed in defeat and hoped for the best as he played his music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its so close to being done guys! thanks for reading!


	16. Breakin' Free From A Lot Of Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe thinks of a plan that'll allow him and Patrick to attend the basketball game, scholastic decathlon, and callbacks.

Tyler had hoped that nothing would come out of the conversation he heard between Brendon and Mr. Way. He hoped that Mr. Way’s lack of coffee that early in the morning caused him to consider changing the callbacks. Now, as he looks at the bulletin that reads ‘Callback Auditions are rescheduled to Friday at 3:30’, he knows his crabby teacher was serious. Serious enough that the change was posted within the time it took Tyler to practice in the auditorium and before school. He stood there with his mouth wide open when Joe, Patrick, Pete, Andy, Ryan, and Max started to walk past him. The group stopped when they noticed the distress in their friend.

“Hey man, what’s wrong?” Joe asked as he began to read the piece of paper.

“What? The callbacks are on the same day as the game?” Pete stupidly asked.

“And the scholastic decathlon,” Patrick said as he looked to the ground in disappointment.

“Why the hell would they do that?” Andy asked in frustration.

“I definitely smell a rat. And its name is Mr. Way,” Pete said.

“I smell two actually,” Tyler corrected him. “And neither of them are Mr. Way.” 

“Tyler? Do you know something?” Patrick asked looking back to his friends.

“I overheard Brendon and Dallon talking to Mr. Way about changing the day of the callbacks earlier this morning. They probably tried convincing him that Joe and Patrick were out to ruin the show when in all reality, they’re just trying to protect themselves,” Tyler explained.

“You don’t even wanna know what I’m going to do to them later. They’ll be so sorry!” Pete said raising his voice when Joe put a hand on him to calm him down.

“No, Pete. You’re not doing anything to them. In fact, none of us are going to do anything to them. The only thing that is going to be done is sing…maybe. The only way this is going to work though, is if we do it together. Now, who’s in?” Joe asked as he put a hand in the circle their group made.

“How do you plan on doing that?” Tyler asked doubting Joe.

“I need you guys to trust me. I have a plan,” Joe said with his hand still alone in the middle of them. Patrick’s hand went in immediately. He trusted that Joe could lead them to victory. Joe couldn’t help but smile he felt Patrick’s touch. Tyler was next hand in, followed by Ryan, Max, and finally, Andy. The group waited patiently for the last of the group.

“Pete, come on. I know I fuck up a lot, but you can trust me on this one,” Joe said not convincingly enough. Andy looked to Pete and grabbed his hand. Pete looked at him and smiled. He thought for a moment, then put his free hand in the circle. Not because he didn’t want to hurt Brendon and Dallon anymore or even because he had full trust in his friend on this, but because he couldn’t resist the look Andy was giving him.

 

Friday. The day of the championship game, scholastic decathlon, and, of course, callbacks. Joe, Pete, Ryan, and Max walked into homeroom with Ryan holding something behind his back. They approached Patrick and Andy, who were finishing up some last minute homework.

“Hey!” Patrick said to Joe, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, guys!” Joe greeted the two of them.

“We’ve got a surprise for you!” Pete said leading their attention to Ryan. Ryan pulled out a chocolate cake with a pi symbol on it.

“It’s a pi pie! Well, actually it’s a cake. But you get the point! I baked it for you guys last night!” Ryan said which made Patrick and Andy laugh.

“Thank you so much!” Andy said.

“We actually have a surprise for you guys too!” Patrick said leading the basketball players to a dry erase marker board. One side of the board had a long and complicated equation on it. The athletes were very confused at this. Patrick and Andy let out some giggles and flipped the board to the other side, revealing a drawing of their mascot with the phrase ‘Go Wildcats!’ on it.

“Aww! Thanks you guys!” Joe said. “Hey! Watch this!” he added as he went to the hallway with Ryan and Max to meet the rest of the basketball team. Pete stayed back to get Brendon and Dallon into the hallway. Mr. Way had just walked towards his classroom and stopped to see what was happening. The basketball team each had a letter on their white t-shirts. The phrase spelled out ‘Go Drama Club!’ to show them that they were definitely not out to ruin the show.

“How sweet. They’re going to be in for an interesting afternoon,” Mr. Way said walking into the classroom. Brendon revealed a small smile at the effort the basketball team put in. Dallon, on the other hand, was having a hard time reading what was spelt out. Brendon noticed his brother having trouble. Instead of helping him, he rolled his eyes and returned to the classroom.

 

It was ten minutes before Joe had to be out of the locker room and warming up in the gym. He was taking his sweet time tying his shoe, wearing nothing but his warm up pants with his basketball shorts underneath. Coach Iero walked through the locker room to make sure his team was ready to go. He stopped and saw his son sitting on the bench alone.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” he asked making sure Joe was alright.

“Nervous,” Joe replied.

“Me too. I wish I could be playing on the court with you.”

“Hey, now! You had your turn,” Joe said jokingly. His dad smiled.

“You know what I want from you today?” Coach Iero asked.

“I know, I know. The championship,” Joe replied as he looked down. He has heard enough of the basketball talk.

“That’ll either come or it won’t. What I really want from you today is for you to have fun,” Coach Iero started as Joe looked back up to his dad. “I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. Hell, most of it is probably because of me. I just want to see my son have fun for once. I haven’t seen that in a while. I want to watch you have the time of your life on that court, playing the game that you and I both love. If you give me that today, I can sleep with a smile on my face once again, no matter if we win or lose.”

“Wow. Thanks Coach.” At this point, Joe was smiling. This is what he wanted from his dad for a long time. “I mean dad,” he corrected. His dad smiled right back to him. He handed him his jersey and lead him to the court.

 

There was no doubt that Patrick was nervous. It wasn’t because he didn’t think he was smart enough, because he knew he was smart. He just doesn’t like to be the center of attention, and since he was the one who was going to take on the hardest equation, he knew that all eyes would be on him. He was standing next to Andy in the front of the room. He was just given a white lab coat to wear for the scholastic decathlon. It was a little bit too long on him, but he expected this. That’s usually how all clothing goes for him. He watched the room fill up with audience members, including his mom.

“Welcome to the tenth annual Scholastic Decathlon. East High Wildcats against the West High Knights. Good luck students,” the announcer said to get everyone in their seats. The students exchanged handshakes with the opposing team. Patrick quietly walked back to his spot and started to sweat.

 

Tyler is backstage in the auditorium by himself. In a short amount of time, he knows that he will be joined by Patrick and Joe. Their plan has to work, right? He hopes for the best and practices the song they have rehearsed about a thousand times.

In the dressing room backstage, Brendon and Dallon are getting warmed up for their audition. They have about half of their costumes on with their hair completely done. They begin to make noises at each other as a warm up exercise for their voice. They only had a few minutes before they were onstage. They needed to be the best they could be. Not because they were worried about getting beat out, but because they made it a point to be perfect every time. Joe and Patrick weren’t going to show up, so they had nothing to worry about.

Dallon begins to go overboard on his vocal exercises, so Brendon shushes him. Brendon turns around to face away from Dallon. He falls and lets his brother catch him. Brendon puts his hands on Dallon’s shoulders, “I trust you.” They put the rest of their costumes on and headed backstage. 

 

“And now welcome your East High Wildcats!” the announcer said as the team ran into the gym, while the cheerleaders shook their pom poms at them. Music began to play and the players warmed up. The cheerleaders returned to the students and got them to cheer while they waited for the game to start. 

Joe was feeling really good about the game today. The talk he just had with his dad made him feel much better. He finally felt like he could be himself and his dad could accept it. His team had decided to support him in whatever he wanted and he immediately felt closer to them. He saw Patrick for a short second before each of their events. Patrick gave him a kiss for good luck. Lastly, he knew the plan was going to work. Soon, he will be singing with Patrick for everyone to see.

 

“Are you ready, Patrick?” Andy whispered just before the announcer had said it was Patrick’s turn at the marker board against a tall boy on the other team. He walked to the middle of the room and carefully removed the cap from the marker. They were given the problem to solve and both students immediately started writing. Patrick couldn’t stop shaking, but he knew exactly what he was writing. He tried to calm himself as he wrote slightly faster than the other boy.

 

“Casting lead roles is a challenge. But also a responsibility. It is such a burden, but it is also a joy. I commend you and all other young artists to hold out for the moon, the sun, and the stars,” Mr. Way said to the auditorium with about five people in the audience. Tyler stood next to Mr. Way, waiting for auditions to begin. “Alright! First off, we have Brendon and Dallon!” The curtains opened and the music started.

“Mucho gusto,” Dallon sang, as he was the first one on stage.

“Aye que fabulosa,” Brendon sang back coming out of the other side of the stage. “Quieres bailar?”

“Mirame,” Dallon answered. Both boys had on a pair of black slacks and black dress shoes. Dallon wore a white button up shirt. The design on it made him look like a blue lava lamp, but in a good way. He topped it off with a black fedora with a white stripe at the base of it. Brendon’s shirt was also button up, but it was a simple blue color to match Dallon’s shirt. His hair looked like it usually does, except less messy. It was undeniable that the boys looked hot.

“I believe in dreaming, shooting for the stars,” Brendon sang.

“Baby to be number one, you’ve got to raise the bar,” Dallon sang as the boys shimmied to each other.

“Kicking and a scratching. Grinding out my best,” Brendon continued. They both shook their hips in a very provocative way.

“Anything it takes to climb the ladder of success!” Dallon finished as he climbed an imaginary ladder. The boys faced each other and danced.

“Work our tails off everyday,” they sang together. “Gotta bump the competition, blow them all away.” Brendon pretended to blow Dallon away as he ran across stage. They came back together to sing the chorus. “Yeah we’re gunna bop bop bop, bop to the top. Slip and slide and ride that rhythm. Jump and hop, hop till we drop, and start again. Zip zap zop, flop like a mop.”

“Scoot around the corner,” Dallon sang as he rolled his hips in every way possible. They continued to dance and sing together. Mr. Way looked very pleased, but Tyler was bored out of his mind. He had to admit, they were doing very well. More than very well. They were amazing, but he couldn’t act like that. He tried to ignore them by looking at the time over and over to see when Joe and Patrick would arrive.

“Going for the glory!” the two sang as someone brought a well decorated ladder onstage.

“We’ll keep stepping up and we just won’t stop,” Dallon sang as he walked up the ladder with his brother on the other side.

“Till we reach the top,” they both sang. Brendon noticed that Dallon was standing higher on the ladder hit his head. Dallon took a step down to avoid a fight later. “Bop to the top!” The small audience applauded them, except for Tyler. Brendon and Dallon did their bows and went offstage.

 

The buzzer let the teams know that their warm up time is over. They return to their coaches and talk for a few seconds. The starting line-ups are announced and the teams take the court. Joe was significantly shorter than the player he was up against and lost the ball to him. He followed the ball to protect their basket. He would worry about singing when that time came. Right now, the team needed his undivided attention.

 

Patrick is almost done with the equation he’s been working on for five minutes now. His handwriting started big, but got much smaller when he realized he was running out of space on the board. He finished writing and sprinted to the buzzer. The marker was still in his hand, because he didn’t bother to put it down when he was done. A judge came to check the work. After twenty seconds in intense silence, the judge gave a thumbs up.

“Point to East High given by Patrick Stump,” the announcer said as Andy ran to give Patrick a hug. After they calmed down, Andy opened his laptop.

“Alright, Wildcats. Time for an orderly exit out of the gym,” Andy said quiet enough for just Patrick to hear. He typed in a few codes and waited patiently. After a few minutes, he looked to to his laptop to do the same thing over again. “Get ready to plug your nose, Trick,” he warned. Within a few seconds, a beaker with dangerous chemicals started bubbling. The smell is atrocious and room full of people is slowly lead to the auditorium. “What are you waiting for? Go!” Andy said pushing Patrick. Patrick sprinted out of the room to make it on time for the callbacks.

 

It was halfway through the second quarter of the game. Joe had completely forgotten all about what was about to happen. The announcer updates the crowd on the game, when the lights start flickering and the scoreboard shuts off. Joe remembers what is happening and smiles.

“Uh, we are having some technical difficulties,” the announcer says. The referee calls for a timeout. “If everyone could just remain calm, we will figure out what’s going on.”

“Dude! What are you doing? Go!” Pete said to Joe, who was still standing in the middle of the court. Joe listened to Pete and ran to the auditorium.

“I just received word that we need to exit the gym in an orderly fashion and make our way into the auditorium. Everything is just fine, so please remain calm,” the announcer tells the room.

 

“Joe? Patrick?” Mr. Way asks. He waits for a response. Nothing. “Joe? Patrick?” he asks again.

“They’ll be here!” Tyler stands up and says to Mr. Way.

“I have told them and everyone else that the theatre waits for no one. If they aren’t here now, they are done,” Mr. Way replies. Tyler becomes very frustrated and runs backstage. “Well, we are done here. Thank you to everyone. The cast list will be posted tomorrow morning.”

“Wait! Mr. Way, wait! We’re here! We’re ready!” Joe says as he and Patrick sprint through the doors.

“I am so sorry, but I already called both of your names twice,” Mr. Way say without looking up.

“Mr. Way, please?” Patrick tried convincing.

“I’ve given you that chance once. Rules are rules, Mr. Stump,” Mr. Way says. Just as he finishes, the doors open again. Everyone from the basketball game and scholastic decathlon arrive in the auditorium and sit down. Brendon and Dallon see the crowd and rush to Mr. Way.

“Wow! We would be happy to perform again for the students, Mr. Way,” Brendon said.

“I have no idea what’s going on, but it’s far too late. We have no pianist now,” Mr. Way said trying to find an excuse. Tyler heard the crowd and ran back to Mr. Way.

“Pianist here, Mr. Way!” Tyler said ready to go.

“You really don’t want to do this,” Brendon said in Tyler’s face.

“Oh, yes. I really do,” Tyler snapped back and he made his way to the piano.

“Alright, well, I see no reason why you can’t still audition. Carry on!” Mr. Way said making his way back to his seat. Joe and Patrick make their way onstage and listen to the intro that Tyler plays. Patrick is supposed to be the first to sing, but freezes up. Joe notices his stress and signals Tyler to stop.

“I can’t do this, Joe. Not with all of these people staring at me,” Patrick says quietly.

“Hey, look at me. We’ve made it this far, right? It’ll be just like the first time we sang together. Just pretend it’s me and you, okay?” Joe comforts Patrick. Patrick nods his head and lets Tyler play again.

Joe decides to start for Patrick, “We’re soarin’, flying. There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach.

“If we’re trying. So we’re breaking free,” Patrick sings to himself.

“You know the world can see us,” Joe continues while grabbing Patrick’s hand. “In a way that’s different than who we are.”

“Creating space between us,” Patrick sings as he lets go of Joe’s hand. “Till we’re separate hearts.

“But you faith, it gives me strength. Strength to believe,” they sang together. “We’re breaking free. We’re soarin’, flying. There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach. If we’re trying, but we’re breaking free.” The chorus they sang was powerful. It wasn’t completely confident yet, but it was enough to give Pete goosebumps. Patrick smiled at Joe, letting him know he was okay now.

“Can you feel it building, like a wave the ocean just can’t control,” Joe sang not taking his eyes off of Patrick.

“Connected by a feeling,” Patrick sang as he took off his lab coat and threw it to the audience. He revealed the pair of black skinny jeans he decided to wear that day. He had his usual black converse on and wore a red polo, rather than a t-shirt. “Ooh, in our very soul,” finished as he danced towards Joe.

They sing the second chorus and everyone in the room has a smile of their face. Pete and the other basketball players were very impressed by their teammate. They assumed he wasn’t going to be very good. Now, the whole team was dancing along. Mr. Way had put his clipboard down. He already knew what the cast list was going to be at this point.

“More than you. More than me,” Joe sang.

“Not a want, but a need,” Patrick continued.

“Both of us, breaking free,” they sang together. They were running after one another onstage, when Coach Iero walked into the auditorium. He saw his son onstage and finally realized what Joe had been trying to tell him for a while now. He couldn’t help but smile at his son, who was having the time of his life onstage with Patrick.

They continued the bridge as Brendon and Dallon watched from backstage. Brendon was not pleased, because they were really good. He knew that they could easy beat him and Dallon out. Dallon couldn’t help but tap his foot along to the music, despite acting pissed off for his brother. “Stop that!” Brendon said stomping on Dallon’s foot.

“We’re runnin’,” Patrick sang.

“Ooh, climbin’,” Joe continued.

“To get to the place to be all that we can be,” they finished together.

“Now’s the time,” Joe continued as he pulled Patrick’s head into his own so their foreheads were touching.

“So we’re breaking free,” Patrick sang to Joe.

“You know the world can see us in a way that’s different than who we are,” they finished looking into each other’s eyes. They smiled and the audience went nuts. Joe and Patrick signaled for Tyler to take a bow. Joe looked into the audience one last time before pressing his lips to Patrick’s in front of everyone. This made everyone cheer even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my goddness that chapter was really long. ANYWAY theres only one chapter left!!! wooo!!! thanks so much for reading! (remember to leave kudos and such)


	17. We're All In This Together...Well...Until The Sequel Anyway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wildcats win the championship game and they sing and dance some more!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol it took me SO DAMN LONG to update this last chapter! Well anyway...here it is ON THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL PERFECT TIMING! i hope you enjoyed this because i obviously dont write and if you want, im hoping to make a sequel at some point

“Ten seconds on the clock remain and the Wildcats have taken the ball,” the announcer says when Joe steals the ball from the basketball player who is much taller than him. “The Wildcats are only down by one point now. This may be tough for our home team!” Joe runs as fast as he can down the court, listening to the crowd cheer as loud as they can. He stops for a moment, then shoots the ball. “He shoots,” the announcer says. Joe watches ball as it approaches the basket. It bounces on the rim once before making it in. “He scores!” the announcer says as the buzzer goes off. “The Wildcats have won the championship!”

The gym is filled with cheers for the team. Joe’s team starts chanting his name as the rest of the crowd joins in. Coach Iero joins his team and gives Joe the trophy they just won. “What team?!” Pete yells as usual. This time, Joe joins in.

“Wildcats!”

“What team?!”

“Wildcats!”

“What team?!”

“Wildcats!”

“Wildcats!”

“Getcha head in the game!” they finish. The team breaks their circle to visit their friends and families who came to watch them play.

“I’m so proud of you, Joe,” Coach Iero says as he hugs his son.

“Thanks, Dad,” Joe replies, hugging his dad back. Joe sees Mr. Way approaching his dad from behind. ‘Oh shit,’ is all Joe can think. Why is Mr. Way coming over here?

“Congratulations, Joe!” Mr. Way says. “On the callback and the game,” he finishes reaching his hand out to Joe’s.

“Thanks, Mr. Way,” Joe answers shaking Mr. Way’s hand.

“Congratulations to you too, Coach Iero. Or as we say in the theatre, bravo!” Mr. Way says.

“Brava!” Coach Iero replies. Mr. Way smiles and walks away to congratulate other players. Coach Iero pats Joe on the back and leaves to tell the other coaches good game, leaving Joe alone. 

“Congratulations, Wildcat!” Patrick said grabbing Joe from behind. Joe turned around and stole a kiss before answering.

“Aww, thanks! What about your team?”

“We won too!” Patrick replied letting Joe give him one last kiss. 

“Hey, get a room you two!” Pete said putting one of his arms around Joe and handing him a basketball with the other. “The team voted you the game ball, Captain.”

“Thanks, man,” Joe answered. Joe took Patrick’s hand and walked away from Pete. Pete was okay with this though. He had other business to take care of. He stood alone looking for the one person he wanted to talk to. To his left, he spotted the cute vegan he was hoping to find. Andy notices Pete staring at him and runs into his arms.

“I knew you couldn’t resist me,” Pete says holding the ginger in his arms.

“Oh, shut up,” Andy answers with a smile on his face.

“So…you’re going with me to the after party, right?” Pete asks.

“What? Like a date?” Andy asks right back.

“Well, this must be your lucky day,” Pete answers with a smirk on his face. Instead of answering Pete, Andy breaks from his arms and rushes to Patrick.

“Pete just asked me out!” Andy screeches to his friend before returning to Pete before Patrick can even answer.

Brendon walks through the gym with his usual ‘I’m better than you’ stride. He’s walking straight towards Patrick with an intimidating look on his face. Patrick immediately worries, but doesn’t let his face show it. “Well, congratulations, I guess. I’m going to be the understudy for you in case you can’t make it to one of the shows. So, break a leg,” Brendon says with a seriously pissed off look on his face. Patrick stands in fear, not knowing what to say. Brendon reveals a smile, “That means good luck in the theatre!” He put one hand on Patrick’s shoulder, giggling. 

“Thanks, Brendon. It really means a lot,” Patrick answers. Brendon begins to move on to congratulate the basketball team when he is stopped by Ryan.

“Hey, Brendon! I’m sorry you didn’t get the lead. I still think you’re pretty great, though!” Ryan says a little too desperately.

“Well, duh. That’s because I am. Now goodbye!” Brendon says taking a step away before Ryan stops him again.

I baked you some cookies!” Ryan says trying to hand Brendon the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. He knew these were Brendon’s favorites and hoped he would take them.

“Ew!” Brendon says before walking away.

“Good game!” Dallon says sneaking up on Ryan and taking the cookies out of his hand. Dallon follows his brother to the group of students surrounding Joe, Patrick, and Tyler.

“Hey, Composer! Here’s your game ball. You deserve it!” Joe says to Tyler, giving him the basketball. The crowd watches Tyler hold the ball uncomfortably. He feels someone grab him from behind. He turns to see that it’s Max helping him shoot the ball into the hoop in front of them.

Now that everyone is happy and successful, the entire student body decides that it is completely appropriate to have a huge musical number in the middle of the busy gym. They have to dodge the other team, teachers, and parents as they dance, but they don’t care. The music starts and they all get hyped up.

Most of the students are still in the bleachers either clapping along to the beat or banging their drums. The rest of the students are on the floor watching Pete and the cheerleaders dance in the middle of the gym floor. “Together, together, together everyone! Together, together, together let’s have some fun! Together, we’re there for each other every time! Together, together come on let’s do this right!” the entire gym sings. The students cheer for them as Pete finishes the sequence off with a toe touch. They move towards the crowd to find Joe pushing to the front.

“Here and now it’s time for celebration. I finally figured out that all our dreams have no limitations. That’s what it’s all about,” Joe sings as he dances with a mix of students.

“Everyone is special in their own way. We make each other strong,” Patrick sings as he makes his way through the crowd of students. He finds Andy and Tyler and dances with them for a short second, then moves on to find Joe. “We’re not the same, we’re different in a good way,” he continues as he throws himself into Joe’s arms. “Together’s where we belong.” Their eyes met for half a second before being taken from each other to dance with everyone. They didn’t mind that much though. Now, their friends wanted to see them singing together and that’s all that really mattered.

“We’re all in this together once we know that we are, we’re all stars,” all of the students sing together while the ones on the floor do a somehow perfectly choreographed routine. Joe and Patrick were shoved to the front with Pete and Andy on their right and Tyler and Max to their left. “And we see that we’re all in this together and it shows when we stand, hand in hand. Make our dreams come true.” They all join hands and walk closer together as they finish out the chorus. “Together, together, together everyone! Together, together come on let’s have some fun! Together we’re there for each other every time! Together, together come on let’s do this right!” When they end the chorus, everyone’s attention is drawn to the middle of the bleachers where Dallon has changed into a bright red button up shirt and starts off the next verse.

“We’re all here and speaking out in one voice,” Dallon sings while snapping and pelvic thrusting in the middle of the pep band. He makes his way down the bleachers and continues, “We’re gunna rock the house! The party’s on, now everybody make some noise! Come on scream and shout!” he jumps into the crowd of students waiting to catch him.

“We’ve arrived because we stuck together,” Brendon sings while walking underneath the arms of the students holding up his brother. “Champions one and all!” Ryan offers his hand to Brendon and leads him to the front of the crowd of students so he can show off his moves too. He really did not want to take Ryan’s hand, but he didn’t want to make a scene right here and now. They make a pyramid formation. Brendon is the tip by himself. Joe and Patrick are on either side of Brendon and Dallon, Pete, and Andy make up the third row. The rest of the students fill in behind them. 

“We’re all in this together when we reach, we can fly, go in sight, we can make it!” they sing together while doing slightly different choreography. “We’re all in this together once we see there’s a chance that we have and we take it!” they finish. The next part they sang included choreography that was better suited for the cheerleaders. Brendon, Patrick, Joe, Dallon, Pete, and Andy move a few lines back and let others shine for once. Josh knows he could do these moves, and since now all of the school knows he’s a kickass dancer, he makes his way up to the front with all of the cheerleaders.

“Wildcats sing along! Yeah we’ve really got it going on! Wildcats in the house! Everybody say it now!” the choreography includes plenty of hip-hop, strong arms, and fast movements. The entire student body has seen Josh do simple movements, but nothing like this. They are all amazed at what they are seeing. Honestly, he is probably better than all of the cheerleaders. “Wildcats everywhere! Wave your hands up in the air! That’s the way we do it, let’s get to it. Time to show the world!” 

The singing stops but the pep band continues to play for the students. They each partner up and do their own freestyling together. Joe grabs Patrick’s hands and twirls him around a few times. Pete shows Andy some of his funky moves, but it turns out that Andy knows dancing just as well as Pete does. Brendon quickly finds his brother in order to avoid any awkward encounters with Ryan. The students form a circle in order to let every couple shine. No matter how good or how bad the couple dancing was, they managed to cheer for everyone.

They got tired of dancing and formed a big group to just jump around for a little bit. The pep band has managed to make their way down onto the gym floor. Patrick see this as a perfect opportunity to end their song with a bang. He grabs Joe’s hand and drags him over to the band. “We’re all in this together,” Joe sings while Patrick adds in some ‘Ooohs’ with his beautiful soul voice. “Once we know that we are, we’re all stars. And we see that…”

Brendon and Ryan join Joe and Patrick and do the normal choreography with them. “We’re all in this together and it shows when we stand,” the four sing as Pete and Andy join in. “Hand in hand make our dreams come.” Pretty soon, all of the Wildcats have joined in for one last run through of the chorus. “Wildcats everywhere! Wave your hands up in the air! That’s the way we do it, let’s get to it come on everyone!” They finish the song and choreography strong. Everyone is out of breath and tired, but are still dancing around with their friends. 

Patrick and Joe look at each other and speak without using words. In that moment, they realize they did it. They taught their school to follow their dreams and not care what anyone else has to say about it. Suddenly, they stop dancing. They grab hands and lean in for their lips to meet. There is cheering all around them, but they can’t hear a thing. Joe’s focus is on the taste of Patrick’s sweet, soft lips. He’s just now realizing how good of a kisser Patrick is. No one he has ever kissed has been this good. Joe’s hand are dry and Patrick can taste the sweat right above Joe’s lips. He likes it though. He’s only a little too short, so he’s on his toes to reach Joe. He can feel the scratchiness of the beard that Joe hasn’t shaved in a couple days and it feels good around his soft cheeks. Slowly, they end their kiss and they can finally hear the cheers around them. They release their hands and join their friends. Everyone’s arms are around each other and they jump around together. Just the day before, some of them were enemies, but today, they know they’ll be best friends.

 

It’s been an hour after the game and everyone has already left for the after party. Well, all except for Ryan. He’s still standing around in the gym playing with the red and white balloons left behind. He would’ve gone with the rest of his team, but now they’ve all partnered up with some guy or girl. All he wanted was to be with Brendon, but he still wouldn’t even look at him while they were singing. Ryan looks down at the ground as he thinks of what show he is going to binge watch on Netflix tonight while his friends have the time of their lives. In the silence of the room, he hears the door open and footsteps. He looks up to find Brendon at the other end of the gym.

“Ryan! These cookies are genius!” Brendon exclaims with a mouthful of chocolate chip cookies. Ryan stands in amazement. "These are seriously the best things I have ever tasted! Will you make me some more?!” Brendon runs towards Ryan with some sort of attack look in his eyes. He turns around to protect himself and Brendon jumps on his back.

“I might even make you a crème brulee!” Ryan says with the biggest smile on his face. Brendon laughs and lets Ryan carry him away. Today really was a victory for everyone.


End file.
